Glitter Pupa

By Luca Montanari

	Materials List:
Hooks:	Mustad ref. 80250 size14 to 8
Thread:	tan
Abdomen:	dubbing of cream or ivory coloured polypropylene
Ribbing:	fine oval gold tinsel
Thorax:	dubbing of burned orange coloured polypropylene
Elytrums:	pheasant tail feather fibres

The Glitter Pupa is an effective nymph able to imitate a trichopter pupa that is in the process of casting off its juvenile skin: the fluffy dubbing of its thorax can appear similar to the remnants of the pupal “dress”. For this reason, the Glitter Pupa is very alluring for the fish that are feeding at the upper levels of the river, especially if it is used during the hatching of sedges, which at the pupa stage take on an ivory or cream coloration.

There are several fishing strategies that we can put into practice with this artificial: the Glitter Pupa is useful for tempting the trout both when “sight fishing”, casting the fly upstream, or with the “blind fishing”, exploring the river step by step with downstream casts. In this case, it can be often productive to load the reel with a sinking line, so we can send the imitation deep down, getting the presentation right, also in fast flowing waters.

Tying instructions:

Step 1: The Glitter Pupa is quite simple to build, and we can complete every single tying step in a short time. For making a fly with a well-balanced shape, it is important to pay attention to the application of all the materials, trying to obtain the correct balance between the dimensions of the thorax and of the abdomen.

I start to prepare my nymph by fixing the hook on the vice jay and tying on the tan thread, which I use to bind in, close to the bend, a short piece of fine oval gold tinsel.

Photos and fly by Luca Montanari

Step 2:

I wax a short section of thread and distribute on it a small quantity of cream or ivory coloured polypropylene, forming a compact and consistent dubbing. After that, I wrap the dubbing around the two rear thirds of the hook shank.

Step 3:
With wide turns of the fine oval gold tinsel around the abdomen, I realise the ribbing.

Step 4:
I cut off a section of fibres from a pheasant tail feather and tie in it in front of the abdomen, placing it so that it extends backwards over the body. Next, using the dubbing spinner, I make a loop with the thread and insert in it a consistent pinch of burned orange coloured polypropylene, realising a fluffy dubbing.

Step 5:
In order to build a downy rope, I make a few turns of the dubbing spinner and wrap it around the front third of the hook shank to create the fly thorax.

Step 6:
I push the pheasant fibres forwards, placing them to cover the upper part of the thorax, and I secure them just behind the hook eye to represent the fly elytru.

Step 7:
I realise the fly head with a few turns of the tan thread, which is finished with a whip-finish and a drop of clear glue.

Step 8:
The Glitter Pupa is now ready to be used on the next fishing trip, helping me to tempt a trout that is feeding just below the surface on whitish trichopter pupas.

The Glitter Pupa is one of the 88 flies described in
Luca’s recent book entitled “Flies – Mosche da pesca”.
To get more information about it click on http://www.edolimpia.it/lev_1/libri/catalogo/5050202.htm
or send an e-mail to
libri@edolimpia.it) .

Although it’s written in Italian, it should be interesting
to many fly tiers due to the many excellent photographs.

Luca Montanari

Glitter Pupa

Fishing

Glitter Pupa

Tying instructions: