Christmas Tree

 

This will be my last fly of the month article for awhile. Bill Carnazzo will be resuming the duties of writing the monthly Fly Tyer’s Corner article again in January. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to be of service to the club. Bill has some busy months in the summer time and has asked me to write the article if he gets too tied up.

 

I thought it would be fitting to tie a Christmas Tree for this month’s fly. This is a Chironomid midge, and it has all of the Christmas colors: red, silver, gold, white, and Peacock (green).  The other thing that goes hand in hand with the holidays is eating, and it seems that fish think this fly is pumpkin pie. They eat these tiny little morsels the same way I scarf down dessert - one after another. Then that equals gifts of tipped indicators, bent rods, tight lines and, pictures with smiles.

 

I first saw this fly at a shop in Salt Lake City. I was asking, “What fly do I use now that it is snowing and there are no hatches?” The guide in the shop said “NO HATCHES? What do you mean? Didn’t you see all the midges last time you were out?”

 

He then explained that the clouds of little tiny bugs I could hardly see were the dinner bell for small and large trout alike. He told me next that the trout were most likely eating the larvae, and he handed me a Christmas Tree. It being close to Christmas, and me being a past gear fisherman, I was thinking this was another fisherman lure with red, green, silver, and gold just before Christmas!

 

Well, needing all the help I could get, I bought one, a size 20, and took it to the river and tied it on a 2# tippet. I greased my leader to within 4 in. of the fly, made two casts, and hooked up and lost the fly on a fairly large brown. When done fishing for that day I went to the shop and bought all of the materials to tie some more. This is a great fly for the Provo River in the winter and I have heard and read that it is used around here in still water situations.

 

This fly is a simple tie.  I hope everyone gets one done for the meeting in January.

 

Paul……

 

MATERIALS:

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Smash the barb (if you can see it).

2. Put a bead on the hook and mount the hook and bead in the vise.

3. Slide the bead to the rear of the hook.

4. Lay a piece of Antron on top of the shank pointing over the eye. Tie it down with side by side wraps; do not overlap the  thread.

5. Whip finish with three wraps; do not over lap the thread. Cut your tying thread.

6. Slide the bead forward to the eye. The Antron will be sticking out of the bead over the eye. Trim the tag end of the Antron.

7. Attach the thread again behind the bead and wrap it back deep into the bend.

8. Attach a piece of silver wire. I use UTC Ultra Wire size BR (barely recognizable)

9. Tie in one strand of red Uni-Floss

10. Wrap thread up the shank and stop behind the bead about 5 thread widths.

11. Wrap the floss forward to the thread, tie off and clip the tag end. Keep tension on the floss and it will not fray or split,

12. Spiral-wrap the wire up to the thread, tie off, and clip the tag end.

13. Take one or two peacock herls (depending on the size of the hook you are using), slip the butt ends in to the bead, and tie them in. The points will be sticking beyond the rear of the fly.

14. Wrap the thread back over the herls to the point where the floss and wire stop, then twist the peacock around the thread.

15. Pinch the thread and the tips of the peacock and wrap it all to the bead. Hold the peacock tips in one hand and tie them down with the other.

16. Whip finish just behind the bead. Only use three wraps to keep the thread hidden.