Chatto’s emerging alpine buzzer

 

When browns and rainbows are feeding on hatching midges at the exclusion of all else this buzzer chironomid pattern and when a little lead is added for weight in the tie I find is a good choice for point fly in a team of three flies. This buzzer is basically the same as many that are in common use. I then tend to tie a smaller  chironomid on the middle dropper some 4 foot from the point fly and then a further chironomid or a midge ball four feet further above that on the top dropper. The retrieve is simple and the best tactic is often to retrieve just enough to keep in contact with the team of flies.

This is the last in the series of three versions of the same fly. The first in the series is representative of the original bloodworm colour of the pupa as it emerges from the slime on the lake bottom. The second fly in the series is black with flashes of red representing the pupa as changes to a dark colour with varying amounts of red present as the transformation occurs. This fly is representative of the colour of the pupa as it reaches the surface the dark colour mellows and the pupa assumes a grey or olive colour similar to its terrestrial colour.

Materials

 

Hook Thread Weight Body & thorax Rib Wing casing Siphons
Grub hook Black Lead wire Olive cotton Fine copper wire Black floss Sand Antron dubbing

Process

 

A
  1. Start with the cotton not the tying thread and wind the cotton from the 95% position back along the first 1/4 of the way down the hook shank.
    1. Understanding hooks

  2. Tie in a length of lead wire. I used .015 lead wire for a size #10 hook.
  3. Wind the lead wire forward in 6 or 7 touching turns and break off the excess lead wire.
  4. Directly behind where the lead wire is tied in tie in a length of copper wire. Lock the copper wire into position along the top of the hook with touching turns of the cotton all the way along the hook the bend of the hook.
  5. Stand the copper wire up and take two further shank to part way round turns of the cotton behind where the copper wire is stood up.

 

B
  1. Wind the cotton forward in touching and where necessary overlapping turns to form a body that finished at the lead wire the same thickness as the outside of wraps of the lead wire.
  2. Wind the copper wire forward along the hook to where the lead wire is tied in forming 6 or 7 segments.
  3. Take just one or two wraps of the cotton over the copper wire to lock it into position and break off the excess copper wire.
  4. Tie the black thread in but  do not trim the cotton.

 

C
  1. You won't need the cotton for a moment so hook it over the back of the vice so its not in the way.
  2. For a size #10 hook take 6 strands of floss and tie them in directly behind where the lead wire is tied in.

 

D
  1. Select a small tuft of dubbing and tie it in half way between the eye of the hook and where the floss is tied in.
  2. Take the thread forward under the dubbing to just behind the eye of the hook.

 

E
  1. Pick up the cotton and wind the cotton forward in touching and overlapping turns to form a thorax which is just a little thicker than the thread body and tapers off to nothing behind the eye of the hook.
  2. Tie the cotton off with the black thread and trim the excess cotton.
  3. At this stage the dubbing should extend forward on top of the hook shank.

 

F
  1. Take half the strands of floss and pull them forward around the front side of the dubbing and lock them in position with just a couple of tight wraps of black thread.
  2. Take the remaining strands of floss and pull them forward around the back side of the dubbing and lock them in position with just a couple of tight wraps of black thread.
  3. Trim the excess floss.
  4. Build up a small thread head behind the eye of the hook.
  5. Whip finish the thread and trim the excess thread and varnish the head the body and the thorax taking care not to get varnish on the siphons.
  6. Pinch off the extra dubbing leaving just a small tuft to represent the breathing siphons.