The Hair Leg GRHE—Applying the Dubbing
I have been asked many times to demonstrate the tying of Hair Leg Nymphs. It’s the dressing of the legs that causes most people the most problems. But there are a number of production tactics that can also be demonstrated by this imitation. So, in the next several blogs we will use the dressing of the Hair Leg Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear to demonstrate both the hair leg process and some other production tying tactics.
Here are four production tactics that are used to start the fly. We’ve mentioned two of them before, but let’s look at them as we race forward. (1) Attach the thread at the front of the thorax and wrap to the rear. This is a production tactic that saves time and thread (notice no thread on the head of the hook). (2) Tie in a tail of pheasant-tail fibers. The butt ends are pre-trimmed to extend to the head so that they can simply be tied in making an underbody of uniform diameter. Wrap forward over the tailing materials. (3) Wrap back, but halt at the center of the shank and apply the dubbing for the abdomen. (4) Leave a couple of inches of bare thread between the dubbing and the hook shank. This serves two purposes: first it’s much faster and far easier to apply the dubbing a couple of inches from the shank, rather that trying to twist it on the thread so close to the hook that you stab yourself on the point. Second, we’re going to use that bare thread to tie in the rib as we wrap rearward. Next time: applying the dubbing and wrapping the rib.
Apply the thread, tie in the pre-trimmed tail, and twist on the dubbing.
Tie in the ribbing wire as the thread is wrapped rearward to the end of the abdomen; this brings the dubbing up the hook ready to wrap forward to form the abdomen.