OK Folks
Here are the 5 SBS's that people have deemed the best from the previous 5 months.
I have put them together as a final competition to determine the overall winner for the winter SBS competition.
The winner will receive one of Mike's Superb Fly reels
So the first months winner was Bigtroot's CruncherRight here goes,
A basic cruncher to try out
This fly fishes well in all sorts of variants from size 10 down to 14 's, for easyness i will tie this fly in a 10 so its easy to see each step clearly
Materials
Hook - Fulling Mill Nickel Comp Heavy weight size 10
Thread - UTC 70 Fl Fire Orange
Tail - Hen fibres from Hen cape feather
Body - Natural pheasant tail
Rib - Red wire
Thorax - Black / silver micro fritz
Hackle - Hen from same cape
Firstly place the hook in the vice and catch in the thread just behind the eye. Run the thread down to in line with the barb then back up to just below the eye.
Take some fibres from one of the feathers off of a hen cape for the tail, i like the ones right at the back with a nice 2 tone effect.
Catch in the fibres just behind the eye and run the thread down to in line with the barb. The tail should be the same length as the body, fold the tail over and check the proportions are right before you continue.
Once the tail is in place catch in your rib just in fornt of the tail and run the thread back up to just below the eye.
Take 4 strands of natural pheasant tail and tie in just behind the eye. tie in at the tips of the pheasant tail.
Run the thread down over the pheasant tail until again in line with the barb.
Bring the thread back up to just below the eye.
Catch the phesant tail with your hackle pliers and wind the fibres in close touching turns to around 3/4 's of the way up the shank of the hook.
Catch in fibres and secure in place with your thread, trim off the waste pheasant tail.
Now counter rib the pheasant tail using the red wire, secure wire with thread and trim off excess wire.
Catch in the Black and silver micro fritz just above the pheasant tail body.
Give the micro fritz 3 full turns and secure in place with thread and trim off excess.
Pick a hackle of suitable size , i like the hackle to be just about the same size as the lenth of the body of the fly.
Prepare the feather by stroking the fibres back and making space for thread to pass through when offering the hackl up to the fly.
Tie in the hackle and trim off the excess.
I give these types of flies 2 full turns of hackle then secure the hackle with the tying thread, at this point it looks a bit shabby but just trim of the stem of the hackle and before you whip finish just sweep the fibres back towards the tail, this tidys things right up and now you have a proper looking cruncher.
Apply some varnish to secure the thread and jobe done, hope you like it
The winner from December was Bigtroot with his Grayling BugA grayling bug initially but has taken wild browns and Rainbows also, quite a versatile wee nymph pattern
Materials used
Hook - size 14 B110 Kamasan
Thread - UTC 70 fire orange
2mm hot orange brass bead
Natural peacock herl - stripped down to quill
Natural pheasant tail
Peacock ice dub
Slide bead onto hook and place hook into vice.
Start thread behing the bead and secure bead in place by putting in a few turns.
Catch in 5 strands of Natural pheasant tail.
Trim off waste pheasant tail.
Catch in one strand of stripped natural peacock herl.
Trim of waste and run thread up to behind bead ensuring to leave as smooth a body of thread as possible for the stripped quill to sit on.
Rib the quill up the hook in open turns to give a segmented look.
Secure quill in place with thread and remove excess quill.
Take a small amount of peacock ice dub and dubb behind the bead.
Whip finnish and add some varnish to the head and jobs complete.
The winner for January was Ramjet's Clan ChiefThis is a fly i used alot when I was younger with great success. I have added a couple of ingredients which i feel adds a little more bling, compared to the bog standard version.
Fingers crossed i have done this correctly and photos turn out ok. First time doing one of these.
Hook: Fulling Mill comp heavy weight size 10
Thread: 8/0 uni Black
Butt: Gold holo tinsel
Tail: Red and rst Orange Uni floss
Rib: Gold oval tinsel
Body: Mozaic Dubbing Black
Body Hackle: Metz grade 2 Cock Hackle Black
Thorax Hackle: Metz grade 2 cock hackle Red
Front Hackle: Black Hen
Place hook in vice and put down a layer of thread
Tie in Gold Holo tinsel
Wrap tinsel round bend of hook and back up to start point. Approximitely 4 turns. Cover with varnish to help protect against troots teeth.
Take two strands of rst orange floss. Brush together with old toothbrush or similar. Do the same with the Red. Place one ontop of the other and tie in at the tail. Tie in gold oval tinsel.
Trim tail to desired length and tidy up.
Take black mosaic and dub onto thread.
Create body. More is better. Leave around 5 mm at head for hackles.
Tie in Metz black cock hackle
Wrap hackle down body. 5 turns is enough.
Wind gold tinsel up body. 4 or 5 turns.
Tidy up and use velcro or dubbing brush to pull out the dubbing from body into hackles.
Tie in red metz hackle
wrap two turns of red hackle and tie off.
Tie in black hen hackle
Wrap two or three turns of black hen and whip finish. varnish head.
The winner for February was Ramjet with a Copper Dabbler MuddlerCOPPER DABBLER MUDDLER
Hook: B175 size 12
Thread: 8/0 Uni Black
Tail: Pheasant tail
Body: Copper utc holographic Tinsel (Medium)
Rib: Small gold wire
Body hackle: Brown cock saddle feather
Wing: Bronze mallard (Natural)
Head: Deer hair (Natural)
Put down a layer of thread until thread is in line with the barb of the hook.
Tie in 4 or 5 strands of pheasant tail fibres, slightly longer than the length of the shank. Also tie in gold wire and copper tinsel.
Tidy up and wrap tinsel to just past half way mark.
Tie in Brown saddle hackle at the end of the tinsel.
Wind hackle down the shank approx 4 or 5 turns. Secure with gold wire and wrap up to end of tinsel (4 or 5 turns).
Take Bronze mallard feather and tear off a piece around 20mm.
Fold Mallard feather over on its self around 4 times till you end up with a thin slip.
Tie in thin slip of bronze mallard in front of hackle. The length of wing should be just short of the tail length. Place tying thread 1/3 rd the way up the bare section of hook (a little further forward than what the picture shows).
Take some deer hair around the same thickness as a normal HB pencil. Place in hair stacker until all tips are lined up.
Place deer hair against the shank of the hook nearest yourself. The tips of the deer hair should line up with the tips of the body hackle. You will notice that the deer hair is on a slight angle to the hook shank (Tips are to the top left. Butt ends to bottom right). Place 2 loose wraps of tying thread around the deer hair.
Shorten tying thread and pull upwards allowing the 2 loose wraps of thread to tighten up. This should spin the deer hair like the picture above.
Place a couple more wraps of thread in same place as your first 2 loose wraps. Bring thread to eye of hook, build up a small head, whip finish and cut off thread.
Stroke the long ends of the deer hair forward leaving the tips facing backwards. This should be easy as your first loose wraps of thread should have made a separation point between tips and rest of hair.
Cut long ends of deer hair into a rough circle.
Stroke the fibres back and begin to cut head into desired shape. Curved scissors are best but not essential.
Finally the Winner from March was JPM75 with a French Partridge MayflyFrench Partridge Mayfly.
Materials.
Hook: Kamasan B830 size 10 classic long shank or similar
Tail: 4-5 Pheasant tail fibres
Body: 2mm strip of natural raffia ( moistened )
Rib: Small oval gold tinsel
Body hackle: Short fibred medium olive cock
Shoulder
Hackle: Long fibred medium olive cock
Head Hackle: Natural French Partridge
Thread: Brown
Step 1: Fix hook in the vice and wind on 5-6 turns of thread
Step 2: Attach oval gold tinsel and wind thread until level with the barb
Step 3: Tie in 4-5 pheasant tail fibres and bring your thread back to the eye catching down but ends on the way
Step 4: Catch in a 2 mm strip of natural raffia (moistened) and tie down to the bend, bring your thread back stopping 3-4 mm from the eye
Step 5: Wind the moistened raffia in touching turns back up to your thread and secure, trim waste and tidy up
Step 6: Catch in the short fibred hackle by the stem and wind 1 turn at the front and palmer the body, bring your rib up through the hackle and secure, trim and tidy up
Step 7: Catch in the larger fibred hackle by the tip, trim the waste, wind on 3-4 turns stroking the fibres back on each turn, secure, trim and tidy up
Step 8: Tie in the French partridge by the tip and remove the waste piece, wind on 3-4 turns stroking back the fibres on each turn, secure the hackle, trim and tidy up
Step 9: Build a neat head, whip finish and add a couple of coats of varnish, Done.
So there you have it, 5 very nice SBS's you can select your favourite from above and post a vote, with the vote ending on the 30th of April that lets everyone have the time to decide who presented their tying sequence in the best way.
Have fun and once again congratulations to all those who have made it so far and let the best SBS win
Sandy
Poll
