Orange Dog Nobbler

by Luca Montanari

Throughout the last years, the island of Fyn in Denmark, has become one of the most famous European venues for fishing sea trout. Every year the island attracts a large group of fly anglers that love this extraordinary migrating fish. Sea trout feed quite close to the coast, and various fly patterns can be used to catch it. Some prefer imitation flies, such as imitations of shrimps or small fries, which are common preys for the fish in the sea. Others prefer to use more imaginative creations. Such flies may have the ability to trigger the aggressiveness or the curiosity of the trout. The Orange Dog Nobbler belongs in this second category of artificials. This is a pattern I consider particularly well suited for alluring large sea trout. It’s a fluffy streamer tied with chenille and marabou dyed orange, which helped me to catch a splendid four kilo fish on a cold day in April.

Apart from fishing in the ocean, the Orange Dog Nobbler is an excellent streamer for fishing in lakes and rivers, showing to be a very attractive fly for alluring rainbow and brown trout, especially when used on the reservoirs, but equally valid for tempting pikes.

	Materials List:
Hooks:	Mustad ref. 9672BR, or 80400 BLN, from the size 6 to size 10
Thread:	Orange
Body:	Orange chenille
Tail:	Orange marabou
Ribbing:	Medium oval gold tinsel
Hackle:	From a orange dyed cock neck
Eyes:	Two small beads from a silver-plated metallic chain

Tying instructions:

Step 1:
As a first step for building the Orange Dog Nobbler, I clamp the hook into the vice jay and apply on it the orange thread, which I then use for tying in, over the bend, a rich tuft of fibres cut off from an orange dyed marabou feather: this fluffy tail must be a little longer than the hook shank.

Step 2:
On the fixing point of the marabou fibres, I add the end of an orange chenille length, followed by one of medium oval gold tinsel and the point of a dyed orange cock hackle.

Step 3:
Next I wind the thread up to the hook eye and tie in two small beads from a silver plated chain, placing them across the hook shank.

Step 4:
I then create the fly body by winding the chenille tightly around the hook shank, securing it behind the silver beads.

Step 5:
With open turns of the gold tinsel over the body, I make the ribbing of my streamer.

Step 6:
At this point, I complete the fly body by winding the orange hackle behind each turn of the gold tinsel.

Step 7:
I push the chenille length forward, laying it to cover the upper portion of the two silver beads. Next I trim off the surplus of the chenille and I make the fly head with a few turns of thread, which I then finish with a whip finish and a drop of clear varnish.

Step 8:
The Orange Dog Nobbler is now ready for being used on my next fishing trip to Danish waters, or maybe for helping me to catch a rainbow trout or a pike in some lake.