Stick fly

There are more versions of stick flies than you can poke a stick at (excuse the pun) and this one is a compilation of a couple that I like. It’s easy to tie and works well particularly early in the season when the water is just starting to warm up and there isn’t that much food about. Fish it almost static on still days or on active days use it as an alternative to a Diawl Bach or Spider type fly when stripping flies for rainbows.

Materials

Hook	Thread	Weight (optional)	Rib	Body	Thorax	Hackle
10 or 12 Tiemco 3761	Brown or olive	3 to 5 wraps 0.010 lead wire	Fine copper wire	Peacock herl	Floss	Brown or ginger hen hackle

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Tie in a length of copper wire along the top of the hook shank.

A

Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook.

Understanding hooks

Tie in a length of copper wire along the top of the hook shank.

B	Tie in several strands of peacock herl in along the top of the hook shank.

C	Form the herl into a herl rope. Roping peacock herl Wind the herl rope along the rear 3/4 of the hook shank to form an thick cigar shaped body. Trim the excess herl.

C

Form the herl into a herl rope.

Roping peacock herl

Wind the herl rope along the rear 3/4 of the hook shank to form an thick cigar shaped body.
Trim the excess herl.

D	Wind the copper wire forward forming 4 or 5 body segments on the fly. Body segments on flies Take two final turns of the copper wire in the area of the fly that will be the thorax and then worry the excess wire off. Tie in a length of fluro lime floss at the 3/4 position.

D

Wind the copper wire forward forming 4 or 5 body segments on the fly.

Body segments on flies

Take two final turns of the copper wire in the area of the fly that will be the thorax and then worry the excess wire off.
Tie in a length of fluro lime floss at the 3/4 position.

E	Build up a thorax of floss. Tie the floss off with the thread behind the eye of the hook and trim the excess. Select a wet fly hackle with barbules just a little longer than the gape of the hook and tie it in shiny side forward just a little behind the eye of the hook. Wet fly hackles

E

Build up a thorax of floss.
Tie the floss off with the thread behind the eye of the hook and trim the excess.
Select a wet fly hackle with barbules just a little longer than the gape of the hook and tie it in shiny side forward just a little behind the eye of the hook.

Wet fly hackles

F	Take 2 or 3 turns of the hackle directly behind the eye of the hook. Tie the hackle off and trim the excess. Stroke the hackle back over the thorax and lock it in position with a couple of wraps of thread. Build up a neat thread head. Neat thread heads Whip finish, trim the thread and varnish the head.

F

Take 2 or 3 turns of the hackle directly behind the eye of the hook.
Tie the hackle off and trim the excess.
Stroke the hackle back over the thorax and lock it in position with a couple of wraps of thread.
Build up a neat thread head.