Isonychia Wet Fly
Hook: Fulling Mill 5085
Nymph Hook, Size #12.
Thread: UTC Brown or Wood
Duck 70 denier.
Rib: Small Gold Ultra Wire.
Tail: 6-8 Pheasant Tail Fibers.
Dorsal Stripe: White UTC 140 Denier Thread or White Floss.
Abdomen: Isonychia-colored Dubbing.
Thorax: Peacock herl 3-4 strands.
Collar: Hen Feather, mottled brown.
If you’re a fly-fisherman here in CT, you should carry a ‘life cycle’ of Iso patterns in your fly box. Why? Because it’s a big fly and can be found on the water from late spring to mid fall. How big is this fly? Usually around a size #12 to #14. I’ve previously featured Iso flies by Preston Jennings as the ‘Fly of the Month’. This pattern is a variation of his flies.
To tie this fly, debarb your hook and place it in the vice. Start your thread with securing wraps a ‘hook eye’s length’ behind the hook eye. Cut off the butt end of your thread. Tie in your Gold Wire Rib and make touching wraps rearward. Wrap down to the bend of the hook. Next, advance your thread to the original ‘tie in’ point of your thread. Prepare a half dozen or so Pheasant Tail Fibers for your tail. The tips should be evenly aligned. Tie them in for your tail. They should be approximately a hook gap in length. Bind them down on top of the hook shank wrapping rearward. Once secured bring your thread up to the mid-point of the hook shank.
Tie in your White Thread Dorsal Stripe. Wrap your rearward to secure it, making sure you keep it on top of the hook shank. Next, dub a slim Dubbing Noodle of your Iso Dubbing. Dub the body up the hook shank to your initial tie in point. Next, pull your white thread over the top of the body and secure it with a few wraps. Cut off the excess thread. Next, make open spiral wraps up the body with your Wire Ribbing to create a segmented body. Tie it down and ‘helicopter’ off the wire.
Next, tie in 3-4 strands of peacock herl for your thorax. Take 3-4 turns around the hook shank. Remember to leave room for your Collar/Hen
Hackle. Secure it with a couple wraps of
thread and cut off the excess. Next,
prepare your mottled brown hen hackle for your Collar. Ideally, the fibers on the hen feather should
be approximately a hook shank in length.
Strip off the lower fibers on the feather stem. Holding the tip of the feather in 1 hand,
strip the lower fibers rearward. Snip
off the tip of the feather and then tie it in right behind the eye of the
hook. Take 2 wraps of your hackle and secure
it behind the eye. Anchor the stem
behind the eye. Snip off the excess
stem. Make a few more wraps to preen
back any forward pointing fibers. Whip
finish your fly. Apply some head cement
if you desire.
Tightlinevideo has a great instructional video below:
If you have any
questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of The Month I can be
reached at pdinice@frontier.com .
