Diawl Bach

Step by Step's

Step 2

Take a cock hackle with a good length of fibres and tear a number of fibres for the tail. The tail needs to be roughly the same length as the body.

Step 3

Measure and once happy with the length catch in the hackle fibres and secure with thread. Return the thread to a place near the eye.

Step 4

Catch in a length of copper or red wire to the underside of the hookshank and cover with thread. Return the thread part way up the hookshank.

Step 5

Catch in 2 peacock herls by their tips and return the thread towards the eye.

Step 6

Wind the herls up the hookshank towards the eye in a reverse direction to that of the rib (ie Under hookshank, rear, over top of hookshank, front), making sure not to cross the herls.

Continue winding to the eye, secure with thread once at the eye and trim any waste. If the peacock herl is "bushy", I tend to trim the peacock herl body into a carrot type shape with scissors ie. Tapered.

Step 8

Wind the wire up the hook shank to create a rib. Secure the wire with thread and trim waste by rocking the wire side to side until it snaps.

Step 9

Invert the fly in the vice. Take some hackle fibres and introduce them to where they will be tied in. Perform two wraps of thread around the hackle fibre stems and let the bobbin hang loose. Now adjust the hackle fibres until you are happy with their position, then take the bobbin again keeping the thread taught and secure the hackle fibres in with thread. Now invert the fly again in the vice so that it is the correct way up and trim any waste ends that are protruding.