Fly of the Month
Joe
Calcavecchia’s Striper Dragon
Thread: Heavy thread like Danville Fly Master plus
3/0.
Tail: White bucktail extending 2-3” beyond the bend
of the hook.
Tail wing: 4 saddle feathers – two white saddles with
two chartreuse saddles paired on the side. They should extend approximately 7-9” beyond
the bend of the hook.
Flash: Top the feather wing with 3-4 strands of
holographic flash-a-bou, topped with 3-4 strands of pearlescent
krystal flash.
Collar: White bucktail.
Head: White deer belly hair.
Eyes: 3 D eyes.
This
is a great striper fly. If you can
master spinning a deer head, it’s a very easy tie. It’s a big meal and it will
catch big fish! I’ve tied this fly in
white and chartreuse but feel free to experiment with whatever colors you
prefer. Black, yellow, and olive colors
work well too.
To
tie this fly begin by placing your hook in the vice. Lay a base of thread along the rear ½ of the
hook shank. Take a clump of white
bucktail. Stack it to even the tips and
tie it on the hook shank extending beyond the bend of the hook. This will be the support for your feather
tail wing. Next, pair two white saddle
hackles, then place two chartreuse saddle hackles on the side of the white
saddles. You want to use long and thin
saddles. Tie them in above the white
bucktail. The feather tail should be
approximately 7-9” long. Above the tail
wing tie in 3-4 strands of holographic flash-a-bou. Top that with 3-4 strands of pearlescent
krystal flash. Next, tie in your collar
of white bucktail. This will prevent the
tail wing from fouling. When you tie it
on the top of the hook shank, after a
few wraps, spread it around the shank with your finger nail. Now continue to tie it down with harder
wraps. Now that you have the collar in
place around the hook shank, takes clumps of white deer belly fibers and spin
your deer head. Tie off your thread and
then trim a nice bullet shaped head.
Once the head is trimmed and shaped, apply your head cement of choice to
the deer head fibers behind the eye of the hook. Next, take your 3 D eyes and glue them onto
your head. You want to use a pliable
cement to affix the eyes. I like to use goop. Apply the glue to the back of the eyes. Put them on the fly head but let the glue
cure for about 5 minutes before you apply pressure to make sure they stick on
the head. That’s it. Go catch that
monster striper !
Joe
Calcavecchia of Salt Water Custom Flies has a great video on how to tie the
Striper Dragon. You can view it below:
If
you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of the
Month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or at pdinice@frontier.com .
