Tying my favorite flies part 2

Red and green butts on tube



This is a fly pattern that I think is one of the most universal patterns around for most fish that swim in a river. Black with some color in it for contrast - what could be more simpler then that? Of all the different patterns in my tube box, this is the one that I have the maximum confidence in. I could basicly fish them for an entire season just in different sizes, but that wouldn't be any fun, wouldn't it?

I do make these on singles and doubles too, but just feel that the tube models are the ones that fill me with that special feeling of "somethings going to happen"... Some models just look better on a tube and some don't. 

Couple of butts ready to catch some fish.


You can start off with watching this tying video of me tying a red butt tube: Tying a red butt tube 

The materials you need to tie this fly are:

- Plastic tube or if you really want to, some copper or aluminium tube. I don't personally like copper tubes. I use the Eumer small and medium sizes for this pattern.

- Red or green floss for the butt. Flatbraid works great too.

- Calf tail for the tail. I like the stiffness and colors on the calf tail. It makes a wonderful contrast to the black wing.

- Peacock for the tag.

- Silver tinsel for the rib.

- Black floss and black UV dubbing for the body.

- Some lead wire.

- Black bear or bucktail for the underwing.

- Red and yellow/green flashabou.

- Silver fox or tempelhund for the rest of the wing.

- Soft black rooster or hen as the hackle.

- JC for the cheeks. This is optional.

Some of the materials needed to tie this fly.


SBS of the green butt model:

Tie the floss in as the butt.

Add the calf tail as the tail.

Peacock tag.

Tie in the floss and tinsel.

Wrap some lead wire to the front side of the tube.

Wrap the floss, dub the dubbing and tie in the tinsel. Add some clue to the back side of the body to make it more durable.

Black bear as the underwing. To the tip of the tail.

Add some silver fox. Make it a bit longer then the bear.

Tie in a couple of strands of flashabou and then the hackle.
Silver fox on top. A bit longer and sparser then the previous. I didn't add any JC to this fly as I couldn't find them....

Finished product from the front.

From a fishy perspective.

 
Remember to layer the wing and don't use too much material. Spread the wing well and use good quality materials. It might take a few trys before you get the proportions and amount of material right.

The combination of the light tube and right amount of material on the wing makes a very unique swimming motion to it. Can't really dublicate it with anything else. It does ride pretty high in the water columm so you need a heavy line if you want to get it down. Most of the times you don't need to get it down and it seems to work very nicely in the middle and top parts of the water colum.

If you don't have any tied up in your box, please stop reading this and head straight to the tying bench and start making some!! Remember to tie these in different lenghts as these colors really do work in many different situations.

Victim of a green butt tube.

a long winged green butt ready for action.

The biggest salmon that I've caught so far fell for a red butt tube.

Comments

  1. rolsenJanuary 7, 2013 at 12:40 AM

    Nice to see that I'm not that lost - I have similar patterns in my flybox and I do believe in those. My biggest trout was caught with simple double hook green butt, ugly like hell but efficient.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jari KoskiJanuary 7, 2013 at 11:15 AM

    There is the possibility that we are both lost, isn't there Mr. Rolsen?:)

    But personally I really do believe in this pattern. Seen it work many times for different species.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BrodyMay 29, 2013 at 10:13 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

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