In the last few years, Norwegian fly tier Bjarne Thomsen has dominated the highly prestigious MSO, Mustad Scandinavian Open fly tying competition, with his creations of feather, fur and steel.
Thunder & Lightning is truly one of the best known classic salmon flies that is still in use today and unbelievably over 150 years old. The pattern, with a simple strip wing, is best put to use when the river has risen and the water is the same colour as tea - with or without milk. It has also gone under the name Great Storm, which reflects once again that it fishes best after a spell with bad weather – especially.
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1
Take a little sand paper and rough-up the inner tube to make it less slippery.
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2
Now you can slide on the outer tube sleeve. If the outer tube is too loose, apply a layer of regular tying thread to the inner tube and a drop of waterproof glue.
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3
Push the inner tube inside the outer tube. Let the outer tube hang 6-7 mm over the back of the inner tube so you have room for the hook. At the front of the tube it’s the reverse, here the inner tube should stick out from the outer tube enough so that you have room for the hackle and head. |
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4
Before you place your tube in the tube fly tool, push a short length of inner tube into the outer tube as shown. This will keep the dimensions of the tube correct when it is put under pressure from the tube fly tool. The reason Bjarne uses a double tube is that it
reduces the amount of air in the finished fly making it fish deeper, and that the thinner inner tube in front of the fly reduces the build-up of materials at the head, resulting in a more streamline tube.
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5
Now place your double tube on a tube fly tool. Make sure that the tube is secure and doesn’t spin.
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6
Attach the tying thread where the butt will begin and 3-4 mm back from the end of the tube.
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7
Prepare your tinsel by carefully stripping off the metal outer layer to reveal the inner core of the tinsel. This also helps to reduce build-up and keeps the silk butt thin and flat.
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8
Tie in the tinsel with only 3 or 4 turns of tying thread.
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9
Make 4-5 turns of tinsel and tie off. Run the tying thread forward to the beginning of the silk tag section..
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10
Tie in your yellow silk floss and make sure that it lies flat and even when you wind in the butt section. Also make sure that there is enough silk to cover the full length of the tube from each end of the silk..
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11
Tie off the silk and cut off the access floss. Wet the silk with a little saliva and stick them down flat along the tube body. |
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12
Now colour your Dyneema tying thread black for the next step. Using Dyneema also helps reduce build-up as it lies absolutely flat and changes in tying thread colour are unnecessary..
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13
Apply a little dubbing to the tying thread and dub the butt section.
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14
Once the butt is dubbed tie in another length of gold oval tinsel as in stage 7. Once that is secured run the tying thread in even turns along the whole length of the outer tube.
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15
Using a smooth side or end of the fly tying tool, applying not too much pressure, run it backwards and forwards over the tying thread under body to smooth out the silk so that it lies flat.
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16
Tie off the white under body with 1 whip finish. Attach regular black waxed tying thread to the thinner inner tube.
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17
Tie in a length of black silk floss for the body.
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18
Run the black silk floss back along the tube body and return to the head of the tube. While winding the floss silk make sure you retain the silk flat and that it doesn't twist under winding. This will result in a lumpy uneven body. Tie off on the thinner inner tube.
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19
You can now prepare the body hackle by stripping off the end fibres.
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20
Tie in the hackle on the inner tube as shown.
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21
Attach hackle pliers to the hackle point and wind on the hackle in 5 evenly spaced turns back towards the hook end of the tube. Make sure that you have room for one clean turn of tinsel rib before you start tying down the hackle.
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22
While keeping the body hackle tight, wind on the tinsel rib catching the hackle securely with each turn. Tie off the tinsel rib.
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23
Trim off the hackle point, just cutting the central hackle quill and not the outer fibres. Tie in the point of your black Spey hackle.
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24
Make 4-5 turns of Spey hackle, tie off and remove the excess.
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25
Prepare and tie in your Guinea fowl hackle and attach hackle pliers.
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26
Wind on the Guinea fowl and tie off.
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27
Select two jungle cock eyes and prepare them by pulling them carefully over your thumb nail so they adopt a slight curve. This will make them lie tighter into the body of the tube.
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28
Tie in the jungle cock one each side. Make sure that the jungle cock is well balanced on each side.
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29
Tie off the jungle cock and remove the excess. Whip finish and remove the tying thread.
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30
Give the head of the fly firstly a coat with thin black varnish. When the first coat is dry give it a second coat with harder clear nail
varnish for a high gloss finish. And there you have a perfectly finished
Thunder & Lightning Spey tube. .
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FLY
OF THE MONTH 
