Tarpon Firecracker
By Barry Ord Clarke
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Tying |
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Step 1 I have used a size 3/0 hook. Before you secure the hook, make sure that the jaws of your vice will take such a hook size comfortably. |
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Step 2
Run the tying thread along the hook shaft, beginning a few millimetres behind the hook eye and finishing so that the thread is hanging plumb between the point and the barb. For all salt water patterns I use Dyneema power thread, not only is this one of the strongest threads available but it is also much more resistant to rotting in salt water. |
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Step 3 Select a bunch of fine tapered marabou and tie this in at the base of the tying thread. Make sure that when tying this in that you manoeuvre the marabou so that it is evenly distributed around the whole hook shaft. Give the whippings a drop of head cement. |
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Step 4
Take about six strands of Crystal hair and tie these in, well distributed on top of the marabou wing. These should be a little longer than the main marabou wing. |
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Step 5 Select another bunch of marabou, a little smaller than the first, and tie this in on top of the first, thus holding the Crystal hair in the centre of the wing. |
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Step 6
Tie in two or three strands of silver flashabou on each side of the wing, again a little longer than the marabou. Give the whippings a drop of head cement. |
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Step 7 Cut 12 long good-quality white ostrich herl and colour as shown with a permanent felt pen, 6 red and 6 black. The best way to colour these is by placing the herl, one strip at a time, on a sheet of paper and then trap the herl at the base of the fibres between the paper and the felt pen, by pressing the pen down on the herl. Then with your free hand take hold of the butt of the herl and pull it under the felt pen towards you. Depending on the quality of the pen you use, you may have to repeat this process to obtain a solid colour. |
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Step 8
You should find that the herl will gain a natural curve when coloured, tie in 3 black and 3 red around the whole hook shaft on top of the marabou wing as illustrated. Again a little longer than the marabou. Give the whippings a drop of head cement. |
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Step 9 Tie in another small bunch of yellow marabou on top of the wing. |
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Step 10
Select 4 long and broad grizzle hackles and colour these with a yellow permanent felt pen. If the black bars need more definition, colour these also with a black pen. |
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Step 11 Remove the fuzz from the hackles where you will attach them and tie in two on each side on top of each other. This will help make the colours more vivid. |
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Step 12
Cut off the surplus hackle butts and give the whippings a drop of head cement. |
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Step 13 Tie in the remaining 6 strands of ostrich herl, on top of the wing. |
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Step 14
Using a large paper clip (bulldog clip), place in the cross cut rabbit strip as shown, leaving 2mm of fur between the clip and the skin strip. If you find spinning a dubbing brush difficult, you can use just the cross cut strip as the hackle, but be careful not to build up too much skin on top of each other. |
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Step 15 Carefully cut the fur along the edge of the skin strip, making sure that none of the skin remains on the fur. |
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Step 16
Make a normal dubbing loop with the tying thread and spin the fur into a dubbing brush. |
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Step 17 Wind on the dubbing brush taking care to brush all the fibres back with each turn so as to form a hackle. |
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Step18
Now remove the access dubbing brush and build up the head to the required size and taper. Whip finish. Remove the tying thread and colour the tying thread with a red permanent felt pen. Give the whippings a drop of head cement. |
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Step 19 Stick two tape eyes one each side on the head. |
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Step 20
Mix a small amount of clear Epoxy. When mixing the epoxy with a match stick, do it with a slow figure of eight movement, this will reduce the chances of making small air bubbles in it. Wait a few seconds before applying the epoxy evenly over the whole head and nose. There you have the finished Tarpon Firecracker. |
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