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Cormorant flies have plenty of movement generated through the wispy marabou wing that extends the full length of the fly and has, as a hot spot, a very visible chartreuse tag. That tag is perhaps the key to the success of this fly as an attractor as it solicits plenty of reaction takes. I don't know if that is because chartreuse, perhaps in its less dramatic forms, does occur reasonably often in nature in some of those insects on the trout's menu including stick caddis and quite a few beetles or if its just a colour that stand out particularly at depth.

In any case I find that it works well in our high country lakes when fished in a team of three flies in the middle position and that it lends itself to the whole gambit of retrieves from almost static to roly polly.

See also: Cormorant-competition version and original cormorant.

Materials

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns from the 95% position to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Tie in a floss tag equal in length to the gape of the hook.

B	Tie in a length of medium silver wire. My preference is to tie it in along the top of the hook shank all the way from the 90% position to the bend of the hook so as to maintain a relatively uniform under-body without any ridges.

C	Dub a cigar shaped body onto the fly.

D	Pick up the wire and wind it forward to the 95% position in tight turns forming 4 or 5 segments and also reinforcing the fly body. Tie the wire off at the 95% position and worry off the excess wire.

E	Pick a bunch of marabou and position it with the tips directly above the tip of the tag. If the marabou is too wispy at its tips then leave the wing a little longer so that the thin wispy ends can be pinched off in line with the tip of the tag.

F	Swap you hold over on the wing to your other hand and tie the marabou in place at the 95% position with a couple of firm turns of thread. Trim away the excess marabou butts with a sharp pair of scissors. Build up a neat head of thread. Whip finish the thread. Trim the thread and varnish the head.

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