Knekestorparen
Av Gunnar Johnson

  This fly was born in the 60s at the still water in the highlands of Småland in Sweden. One of the water, where the fly later came to harvest greatest triumphs, was called Knekestorp - and the fly has therefore in the immediate circle of friends come to be called just "Knekestorparen".

  Most good flies are also simple flies, and Knekestorparen is really a very simple fly - but also a fly with real great qualities when it comes to attracting surface feeding fish. Gunnar had earlier experienced nice fishing with lightly dressed flymph flies, and it was in the experiments with those who just Knekestorparen found to have qualities out of the ordinary.

  How to tie and fish the fly

  Knekestorparen is as said a very simple fly, and we should not waste many words on tying technique. It has been fishing best in hook sizes 12 and 14. Biggest difficulty today is to find the dark mottled turkey tail feathers with white tips forming body material. (As an alternative, we therefore use white goose feathers, which you cut a few centimeters wide sections, and color them by keeping them in the tips while you dip the rest of the fibers in the dye bath).

  The 3-4 mm wide spring section is tied to the tip of the hook bend. It is preferred to varnish the hook shank before the body is wound. It makes the fly more durable.

  Hackle is from black hen. Tying thread black or dark brown.

  The white abdomen is perhaps a bite trigger. In any case, it makes the fly more easily visible against the dark background. But Knekestorparens great strength is its general insect-like appearance. It is thus a typical presentation fly. In other words, it depends on your fishing techniques how fish perceive it. It can be fished as a nymph, pupa or beetle. And on some occasions, it has also served as ant.

  The fly is performing best when fishing for surface feeding rainbow, when a swirl says that fish take something just below the surface. Place your Knekestorpare fly with a few meters ahead when you see the line of wake, and take in the fly with a slow hand twist.

Translation of picture text:
Kalkon = Turkey
Riv bort= tare off
On hooks from Mustad the barb can be pressed down without any problem
English hooks is often more hardened and because if this they brake more easily.

  Barbless hook

  Actually we now rarely use completely barbless hook. Instead, we press down the barb on a plain hook, so that it becomes either flat - or broken. Experience has taught us that Mustad hooks work best in this regard. English hook is considered by many to be of better quality, but it is often very hardened so when you pinch the barb you weaken the hook to form a fracture of microscopic cracks in the steel. It is not visible to the naked eye, but then when you fished for a while and missed to set the hook in the fish mouth several times. When you check the hook you will often see that the hook is broken just at the bend.

  With Mustad hooks this happens very rarely because it is a little softer in the harden process. And the little "hump", which remains after the barb is pressed down, is more than enough to hold the fish. In addition, the lack of barb makes it easier to set the hook in a tough and hard fish jaw.

By Gunnar Johnson 1983 ©