Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Paul's June 2017 Fly of the Month


Fly of the Month
 Joe Calcavecchia’s Striper Dragon

Hook:  Short shank salt water hook.  I prefer Gamakatsu SC-15 hooks.  This is a big fly.  Tie them on size 3/0 to 6/0 hooks.

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:


He also has a great website at http://saltwatercustomflies.com/ . 

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 .