| The fly imitates the Hawthorn
fly (Bibio marci, also called St. Mark's fly because it
traditionally makes an appearance around St. Mark's day, April 25), which frequently occurs on streams in the south of Sweden in the early spring. But
the fly is functional during the whole fishing season. It is a good imitation of many
winged insects that occurs near fishing waters. It can be a good idea to use different
sizes of the hook to imitate both larger and smaller insects (size18 - 12). Dub the body with the black poly-wiggle.
It can be a bit difficult to handle this material, but it is preferable to use the
poly-wiggle instead of using other poly materials. The poly-wiggle has a high gloss and
imitates the shiny black body of the insects very well. Tie two fibers of the deer hair
where the body ends, on each side of the body, pointing backwards-downwards. And they
shall reach half the body length behind the hook bend. They imitate one of the
insect’s leg pair, which it holds like this when flying and standing on the water
surface.
Tie the white wing on to the hook
where the body ends, pointing upwards-backwards. The wing shall be a very thin and
lengthwise it shall be cut not reaching behind the hook bend. Tie the hackle on to the
hook and wind it two turns around the hook shaft. If you have a very thick hackle, like
Hoffman quality it can be enough with 1,5 turns. To make the fly stand correctly on the
water surface you can cut of the hackle fibers pointing downward or them tie upwards to
the sides using the tying thread. Secure the hackle and form a small head with the thread.
Finish with two whip-finish knots and varnish the head. Finished!
© Picture and text:
Mats Sjöstrand 1999
|
