Psychedelic Critter
Posted: January 21st, 2008, 5:39 pm
What do you do when the weather is bad, you've read Socrates (he died 
) and there's nothing to do but get busy on the vice 
I guess I have a thing for crab and shrimp flies cause that is about all I like to tie. I was thinking about the mangrove critter fly and what I could do to make it my own. I spend alot of time looking at other tiers flies and came up with this concoction, the Psychedelic Critter.
It's basically a mangrove critter with one difference, the body is wrapped with Estaz Grande vice yarn.
Materials Used
Hook: Mustad 34007 size 2 or 4.
Thread: Olive Ultra Thread 140
Tail: Copper Crystal Flash, select tan craft fur and burnt mono eyes
Egg Sac: Ice chenille large orange
Body: Estaz Grande Root Beer
Head: 1/8 eyes
Weed Guard: 20-pound hard mason mono
Tying:
Wrap hook shank with thread to just past the barb
Tie in flash twice the length of the hook
Then do two wraps with the Ice chenille large orange
Next add the burnt mono eyes
Now tie in the craft fur tail, length is twice the hook
Now bar the tail with a brown magic marker
Tie in the Estaz Grande.
Wrap thread forward and tie in the dumb bell eyes
Tie in the weed guard
Now palmer the estaz forward, stroking it as you wrap it to the dumb bell eyes
Tie off the estaz
Wrap thread forward and whip finish and head cement.
I did not just think this up, I spent some time on the vice playing with the idea, here is an evolution shot (for those on the free fly list, your looking at yours
). The one on the far left is the final product. I wanted to do the craft fur in a overwing/clouser fashion, but it was just to cumbersome and it didn't look right.
I suspect that this will be a better summer fly being that it is kinda sparkly, but I am going to give it a try hopefully this weekend.
) and there's nothing to do but get busy on the vice I guess I have a thing for crab and shrimp flies cause that is about all I like to tie. I was thinking about the mangrove critter fly and what I could do to make it my own. I spend alot of time looking at other tiers flies and came up with this concoction, the Psychedelic Critter.
It's basically a mangrove critter with one difference, the body is wrapped with Estaz Grande vice yarn.
Materials Used
Hook: Mustad 34007 size 2 or 4.
Thread: Olive Ultra Thread 140
Tail: Copper Crystal Flash, select tan craft fur and burnt mono eyes
Egg Sac: Ice chenille large orange
Body: Estaz Grande Root Beer
Head: 1/8 eyes
Weed Guard: 20-pound hard mason mono
Tying:
Wrap hook shank with thread to just past the barb
Tie in flash twice the length of the hook
Then do two wraps with the Ice chenille large orange
Next add the burnt mono eyes
Now tie in the craft fur tail, length is twice the hook
Now bar the tail with a brown magic marker
Tie in the Estaz Grande.
Wrap thread forward and tie in the dumb bell eyes
Tie in the weed guard
Now palmer the estaz forward, stroking it as you wrap it to the dumb bell eyes
Tie off the estaz
Wrap thread forward and whip finish and head cement.
I did not just think this up, I spent some time on the vice playing with the idea, here is an evolution shot (for those on the free fly list, your looking at yours
). The one on the far left is the final product. I wanted to do the craft fur in a overwing/clouser fashion, but it was just to cumbersome and it didn't look right.I suspect that this will be a better summer fly being that it is kinda sparkly, but I am going to give it a try hopefully this weekend.
You can send some my way. Do you have a place in PC for fly tying supplies or are you ordering online? I've been having a hard time finding quality materials.
