The Professor By Dick Talleur
Attractor - that’s an interesting term, isn’t it? It refers to
those flies that don’t specifically resemble a particular item of fish food.
But to whom are they really attractive - the fish, or us? Let’s face it: This
is a totally homogenized expression. Can you imagine a big old trout
scrutinizing some garish bit of fluff and saying to himself, “Wow, that’s a
great-looking attractor pattern; I’m going to eat it!” No; fish aren’t
connoisseurs, they’re simply predators. If they go for a fly, it’s
because they’re hungry, and they think it’s something good to eat.
The interesting and, in fact, miraculous aspect of all this is that fish often
do go for attractor patterns. Sometimes they work when
the best hatch-matchers fail. Then there’s the Atlantic salmon - for that
matter, the Pacific strain as well. These fish aren’t eating during their
migratory excursions into fresh water, so why would they want to take
a fly of any sort? Many theories have been offered, yet we still have
nothing more than empirical knowledge. It’s an eternal question, and
frankly, I’m glad.
The Dressing - The Professor
Hook: Daiichi #1560; IXL wet-fly.
Hook Size: Size 10.
Thread: 8/0 Uni-Thread or comparable; any pale color and black.
Tail: Bright-red-dyed rooster hackle.
Ribbing: Fine gold Mylar or similar tinsel product.
Body: Yellow floss.
Hackle: Brown hen or soft rooster.
Wing: Barred mallard flank feather.
Tying Steps:
-
Tie on about 30 percent of the shank length rearward of the eye with
five or six wraps, then trim off the thread tag. You’ll be tying in the tail at
this point. . . -
Select a large red hackle feather from the edge of the cape or from a strung
bundle, if that’s what you happen to have. The longer the barbs, the better.
Barb-gather a bunch . . . Hold the barbs over the hook, and gauge proportions
for the tail, allowing an appropriate amount - about
equal to the shank length - to overhang the bend. -
Tie in the bunch on top of the hook with a couple of pinch-wraps, then
secure with a series of neat, firm wraps, working rearward. With your left
hand, hold the bunch at a slight angle above the hook, while pulling from the
rear. Wrap all the way to the bend. This method saves you two layers of
thread; the only requirement is that the tailing barbs be of sufficient length
to facilitate the process.
4. Come forward a couple of thread wraps and tie in the ribbing tinsel against
the far side of the hook; later on, this will allow for one turn of tinsel behind
the tie-in point of the tinsel. If you’re using Mylar, make sure the gold side
is facing out. You can probably sneak a soft wrap or two around the material
to set it into place. However, if the material flops around and gives you
trouble, try this technique:
(A) Hold the tinsel tightly between your two thumbs and forefingers.
(B) Place it under the hook, just ahead of the thread.
(C) With your left middle finger, catch it against the back of the hook.
(D) Pick up the bobbin and pass the thread over the material.
- Wrap forward very neatly; when a floss body is called for, contiguous wraps
form the best base. Bury the tag end of the tinsel, cutting it off when you’ve
worked about 3/4 of the way up the shank. Stop here.
- Cut off a piece of floss 6 or 7 inches in length. Floss bodies should be
slim, so select your floss according. Here, I’m using two skeins of the four-ply
Danville rayon floss. Tie in the material at the position shown, using four or
five very firm thread wraps. I suggest the two-handed technique described
in the previous step; it works even better for floss than for tinsel. After the
first two wraps, do this: Pull the floss gently rearward, so that about 1/8 inch
of it sneaks under the thread; this ensures that when you begin wrapping the
floss, the filaments will all be lined up neatly. Secure with several additional
wraps. Don’t be concerned that a little thread bulk builds up, you’ll take care
of that in a few moments.
Originally published July 2, 2001 on Fly Anglers Online by Dick Talleur.