STREAMER OR PULLING FLIES
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ALEXANDRAS VARIANT
(STREAMER, PULLING FLY, WET FLY, LOCH STYLE FLY OR SALMON
TYPE FLY)
An Alexandras was
one of the first flies I purchased prior to becoming involved in fly
tying. I purchased a box of 20 or so just because I liked them and had
read about them somewhere. It was a while before I caught a fish on one
but once I did I slowly developed an understanding of the flies form and
function. Its a fly that has withstood the test even though it was
apparently banned for a time in Scotland where it was developed because
it was just too effective. It remains effective today and is an
excellent middle dropper attractor type fly or tip fly when fishing for
fast moving rainbow trout. The only downside as I saw it with the fly
was that in the original the hook was very exposed. To overcome that
shortcoming I have turned the dressing over in the fly and substituted a
swamp hen feather for a wing instead of what was a black hen hackle
beard on the original.
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MATERIALS:
Hook Size - 8 to 12 long shank
Thread - Black
Tail - Red cock hackle fibres
Body - Multi strand silver thread
Under beard - Red cock hackle
fibres
Beard - Peacock sword feathers
Wing - Swam hen feather
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A)
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Wind the thread in touching turns from the 95% position to the bend of
the hook.
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Tie in a tail of red cock hackles which is about one half to three
quarters of the length of the hook long.
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Take the thread back to the 95% position and tie in a length of multi
strand silver thread. The thread I use is called "Glamour Madeira
NO8". This is an over lock thread consisting of around six
individual threads. Whilst the colour is predominantly silver it
does have hints of blue, green and red.
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Wind the multi strand silver thread to the bend of the hook along the
top of the shank of the hook.
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B)
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Wind the multi strand silver thread back toward the eye of the hook to
about the 90% position in touching turns, tie the multi strand
silver thread off and trim the excess.
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Tie in an underbeard of red cock hackles with the tips obscuring the
point of the hook and extending to the back of the bend of the hook.
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C)Tie in an over-beard of around 10 peacock sword herl that is just
marginally longer than the red hackle fibre under-beard.
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D)
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Rotate the fly to the upright position and tie in a single swamp duck
feather as a wing. The tips of the wing should be directly above the
tips of the peacock sword herl over-beard.
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Build up a neat head of thread.
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Whip finish the thread, trim the excess and varnish the head.
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