Trailing hook fly – for use with articulated popper head

 

This fly is primarily designed as a simple yet effective fly to be fished behind my articulated popper heads.

Colour choice are infinite but three of my favourites are.

trailing-g

Materials for trailing hook

Hook size Thread Under-tail Tail flash Over-tail Body
Mustard 34007 #3/0. Big fly thread Hends or Spirit River marabou 12 to 14 strands of krystal flash Hends or Spirit River marabou FNF UV jelly chenille

 

Process

A
  1. Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook.
 trailing-a

I build my marabou tail for these trailing hooks in three stages.

B (1)
  1. The first stage is to tie in the under-tail. The target length of tail should be one and a half times the length of the hook. The size #3/0 Mustard 34007SS hook used for this tie is 43mm long so in this case I want the tail to extend a distance of 65mm from the back of the hook. You will see that I have looped an elastic band over the top of my vice 65mm back behind the back of the hook so that I can use that as a guide as to the length of the tail.

trailing-b

B (2)
  1. The second stage is tying in the tail flash. I don't like the krystal flash tied in on the outside of the marabou and prefer it partially hidden in the tail.
  2. To achieve select 6 or 7 strands of your sparkle flash which are at least twice as long as the under-tail and tie that in along the top half of the front of the under-tail with the back tips extending backward a distance equal to the length of the under-tail.
  3. Take the forward facing facing tips over the hook shank and lock them in position with firm wraps of thread on top half of the back of the under-tail with the tips now extending backward a distance equal to the length of the under-tail.

trailing-c

B (3)
  1. The final part of the tail is tying in the over-tail which can now be tied in on top of the under-tail hiding some of the krystal flash and completing the tail.
 trailing-d

C
  1. If there is any unevenness along the top of the hook shank use a little scrap wool to fill any void (as I have done in this example toward the eye of the hook) to make the under-body even.
  2. Take the thread back down the hook shank to about the 25% position and tie in your jelly chenille on top of the hook shank all the way to the bend of the hook.
  3. Once that is done take the thread forward to about the 95% position.
 trailing-e

D
  1. Wind the jelly chenille forward in tight touching turns. Jelly chenille ties in better if you wet it and stroke the fibres back between each wrap of the jelly chenille.
  2. Tie the jelly chenille off directly behind the eye of the hook and trim away the excess.
  3. Whip finish the fly body and trim the excess thread away.
  4. I generally put just a little UV epoxy over the whip finish to complete the trailing hook fly.
 trailing-f


Last Updated: February 17, 2019
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Categories: Flies, Saltwater - offshore, Saltwater - tropical
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