I was looking through an old magazine I had and discovered a pattern
that I tied and fished several years ago. I caught some smallmouth on this
fly, some largemouth and more than my fair share of browns, rainbows and
yes a few bluegills too.I had forgotten about the pattern ( more likely
the name and the inventor ) and remembered it was a kind of a cool fly after
rereading the article. This is a muddler design type of fly so I don't think
that the originator can really claim that this is an innovative pattern,
it is more or less a derived idea based on something that has been cop
ied many times. In any case, my pattern
is not exactlly idenitical either.........so in a sense this is my version
of something.
The original pattern I copied was called the Polar Muddler. It was created by Paul Miller for an article about fly fishing in British Columbia. This article was called," Winter Ghosts of Lower B.C." and was contained in the now defunct , Art of Angling Journal, Volume1, Issue 4. I selected this pattern to show you because it teachs several things about working with hair. This is a very difficult pattern for many tyers so don't become too frustrated if you aren't able to master this pattern right off. I think it is an excellent design and has some great looking qualities. My pattern is a bit smaller, more dense and contains different materials. The original Polar Muddler was made of polar bear, which is almost impossible to get. If I had some, I would feel bad about using the stuff and I would also perfer not to use such a rare material just to make some fishing flies. I substituted buck tail and used all of the most common basic materials so I don't think you should have a hard time finding the stuff to make this.
The Polar Conehead
Hook: Mustad 9674 or Daiichi 1750 size 4 or 6
Cone: Silver 1/4" or Large Size
Thread: 6/0 White
Tail: White Bucktail
Body: Pearl Tinsel
Underwing: Pearl Krystal Flash
Wing: White Bucktail with Grizzly Hackle tied on each side
Collar: White deer belly hair spun
( Sorry about the odd backgrounds.......my camera does a color balance and I couldn't correct this.......it should be fine as you can see each step quite well.)
Begin by putting the cone
on the hook. Slide the cone with the narrow end over the hook point first.
Start thread and wrap thread
back along the top of the hook shank. Stop when you get to a spot even with
the point of the hook.
Next I cut a bundle of bucktail
about the size of a pencil, maybe 20 fibers or so. Using one of my giant
Terra saltwater/bucktail hair stackers I even the ends. I drop the hair
in the flared end and tap it on the table top. Next I slip the top piece
up while tilting the base.
As I pull the hair
out of the stacker, I move the end over. I will grab the evened bundle out
of the top end. If you mess this up, put the top half back in the bottom,
tap on the table a few more times and try removing the hair again.
Take the bundle and measure
the length of the tail. You want to set the tail equal to the hook shank.
Miller's original had very long tails ( which you might try). In any case
my tail is equal to the hook shank and wrap the fibers along the top of
the hook shank. I clip the end tight the edge of the cone and wrap over
the butts to level out the body. If you make the body lumpy or odd shaped,
the tinsel used in the next step won't cure a mess of a body. Keep the body
level and even.
Next I tie in a strip of tinsel
about 2 1/2" long. Catch the strip with your thread and tie flat along
the shank of the hook. It helps to pull back with your other hand to add
tension and keep the tinsel tight.
Wrap the tinsel forward in
even touching turns. I use my other finger on the back of the hook to keep
the tinsel from slipping. When you get to the head, make a few wraps and
tug on the tag to snug it up. Clip off the tag and make a few wraps to cover
the cut end.
Cut a small bundle of Krysal
Flash by folding it over several times. I fold about 5 strands, 4 times
and cut the loops. I cut the size of the bundle down by using only about
7-10 strands. Tie the bundle on top of the hook so that the tips touch the
end of the tail. If your flash is too long, you can pull it forward or nip
the ends off with your scissors.
Cut another bundle of bucktail.
Again even the tips by stacking the hair. Tie the wing on top of the Krystal
Flash and make sure that the tips of the wing are even with the end of the
tail. This will help your fly look neater.
Tie in one hackle on each
side of the wing. You want the tips of the hackle to touch the edges of
the wing with the good sides facing out on each side. I tie in one side,
than the other. I also look for hackle that has round tips. Some of the
tailing material on some necks such as spade hackle is ideal for the wings.
Pointed or narrow wings look bad, try to use about a size 6-8 hackle if
you can. In a pinch just omit this if you wish.
After I tie the wing in, I pull all of the fibers together and pull the wing over the cone. I want the wing to slant up. Make a few wraps and the wing will be locked in.
Next I cut and clean a bundle
of deer belly hair. I stack it to even the ends. I tie in a bundle about
the size of pencil on top of the hook. I leave about 1/2" sticking
out as a collar and tie the tips facing the tail. I make about 2-3 firm
wraps with the thread. If you find that you are breaking the thread off,
you can use a heavier thread of say 3/0 before you begin making the head.
Next tie another bundle on
the bottom side of the hook. You want the tips of the second bundle to be
even with the tips from above.
I make several tight z wraps
by wiggling the thread back and forth abit and making firm wraps. The uneven,
odd shaped wraps will force the thread into the hair and lock it down firmly.
I then make several wraps behind the cone and force the thread to lock the
collar back. It helps if you stroke the hair by making a small circle with
your right hand, while pinching the tail with with your left. If you do
this the bundle will flare out.
Next make a whip finish around
the cone. I make a large triangle and whip around the back of the cone.
Be careful or you can cut your thread by pulling against the edge of the
cone. Cut the thread off after you make your whip finish.
Again stroke the fibers of
the hair.I try to get the longer hair to stand out at right angles. Next
I use a pair of curved scissors and clip the hair in a circle. The smaller
collar hair is compressed against the body and is shorter. I clip only long
hair that sticks out. I tied commerically for many years and I can make
a small round head in about 10 cuts. Nip the packed hair tight. If the head
is uneven try making a small twist to cock the head even. I add some drops
of head cemment to the spun hair. This is another secret to making it "
feel" dense". I use glue........so that is how you get a really
tight head? Yeap! You cheat and glue it.
Stuff I sell for making this fly:
Polar Conehead Kit: Includes all the
stuff you need to make this fly. Kit has: Terra Bucktail Stacker: $13.50,
Deer Belly Hair: $2.50, 6/0 Thread: $1.50, Daiichi 1750 Hooks:
$5.75, Pearl Tinsel: $1.50, Pearl Krystal Flash: $3.50,
White Bucktail Pieces: $1.50, Large Silver Coneheads: $3.00
Total Value: $32.75, Kit price: $28.50 Email me by clicking below and tell me you want a kit, I will tell you how to order.
