 FLY
OF THE MONTH
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X-File
Pupa
By Jeff Pierce
The
X-File Pupa is a really simple fly to tie (just
the way I like them!). I came up with this
fly looking for a pattern that the local, well
educated trout had not seen and that would
also be effective during the low light hours
and at night. This fly does fish well during
the day, but it really performs its miracles
when fishing at night. This hook will glow
when exposed to light and has elicited some
vicious strikes from some of the big browns
on my home waters. I have caught about a dozen
trout from 18 to 23 inches fishing this fly
at night. Trust me, the fish in your waters
haven't seen this one yet (unless you fish
my local waters in Upstate NY).
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Materials List: |
Hooks: |
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Thread: |
Wapsi
Waxed 7/0 thread in black |
Body: |
Wapsi
Waxed 7/0 thread in black for segmentation. |
Head: |
Peacock
hurl for head. |
Additional: |
Clouser's
Heavy Base Gloss Coat as a topping. |
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Tying
instructions: |
Step
1:
Angle
the jaws of your vise so that you can clamp the
hook in the vise without the jaws touching the
painted part of the hook.
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Photo
and fly by Jeff Pierce
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Step
2:
Begin
wrapping the thread on the hook at the beginning
of the paint near the hook point. After a few wraps
to attach the thread securely, begin wrapping the
thread around the hook working toward the eye, creating
a segmented look to the hook. It helps to flatten
the thread to get the best appearance of segmentation.
Once at the eye, build up a small base of thread
extending about 1/8 of an inch behind the eye. |
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Step
3:
Attach
the peacock hurl and wrap that around the hook to
form the head. Tie off the peacock hurl and whip
finish.
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Step
4:
Coat
the painted portion of the hook that has the thread
segmentation with the Clouser's Heavy Base Gloss Coat
as a protective layer. You need the gloss coat to protect
the thread from the fish's teeth. Do not coat the peacock
hurl unless you wish to add weight to the fly to fish
the fly deeper. |
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This "X-File-Pupa-caught" Cutthroat
is one of the nice Yellowstone-River Cutthroat
that was fooled by this fly on my recent trip
to Montana.
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Here
is the best of all:
- a picture of the X-File Pupa in its best form - in the dark!
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About
Jeff Pierce
Jeff
Pierce is the North American Sales Coordinator for O.
Mustad & Son (USA), Inc. and Partridge. He is the
Captain of Team Mustad and is a diehard angler and fly
tier. Jeff's alias is "Dr. Fish" because of his "insane" addiction
to fishing and studying fish. |
