Claret Buzzer
I accidentally discovered a way of producing a superb ribbed effect on flies by using herl from a peacock eye. At the time, I was listening to several folks talk about various products and how they can cross over for more than one use. Peacock was one of those, I have tons of it on hand, and a lot of eyes. While over on the Missouri last year, I had remembered that conversation and forgotton an article I read online once about using it for rib. I was tying a Griffiths nat and for the body, I used a peacock eye feather, which also has a really superb iridescence. So, when I wound the eye herl to produce the body I seemed to be having trouble with the way it was going on, it looked more like I was putting rib with the abdomen. I wound it off and then on again, and it still looked like I had put the rib on, I still needed to wind the hackle feather on. Well, this set me thinking about that aritcle I had read before about ribbing with eye'd peacock. If you have ever seen inside my truck when I go on a fishing trip, it has most all of my books about tying and my fly tying supplies organised in the camper. So I dug around and found the article I had printed and stuffed in the Dave Hughes Trout Flies book. I tied up what I had hooks for, and used a few of them. It was a great change, the fish were off a bit, but this proved to be a different food source for the fish and they seemed to come alive to it. I had to make them small. But it worked for the better part of the day.
Hook: sizes 10-14.
Thread: Claret Danvilles Fly master.
Tail: Cock hackle fibres dyed claret.
Body: Peacock eye dyed claret.
Throat hackle: Same as tail.
Fishing notes: This fly has since worked well almost everywhere; if you are
having a difficult time, put it on! Good fly for browns. We have found the claret
version has works better than others. Which is why it is the color of choice in the patten here.
Tying the Diawl Buzzer using fluorescent floss as a tying thread, the fluorescent material forms a good base color for the fly, and it also makes a great head. Danvilles Flymaster 6/0 or Uni-thread 8/0 . Be careful about the hook, the thread and the materials you choose, this fly should be tied slim and minute differences in bulk and proportion can be critical to the overall appearance. You don't want the fly to appear too heavy, but then again you don't want it to appear too thin (this is where an underbody of floss also helps).
The tail: Pull off a few fibres from a hackle for the tail. Catch them in with a couple of turns and then trim the butts so they will lie flush with the point at which the body will end. Don't trim them too short or you will be left with a bump in the underbody and cause the wound herl body to distort. The underbody must be smooth and level.
Eye herl for the body: You only have about 2 - 2 1/2 inches of herl to work with to complete the body, so make the most of the best of it. The best part of the herl is at the base, so when you strip it way from the stem it leaves a curly end, tie it in at that curly end toward the feather which is left ( this is actually quite strong. Tying it in by the base means you get a better effect, a better hold, and you'll have more material to hold onto during the winding process.)
Look to use the very base of the eye feather, that part which would have constituted either a blue or green part of the eye before it was dyed.
Before winding the herl add Superglue to the underbody. Herl is a weak material, but using Superglue should enable you to land at least half a dozen fish on the fly before it finally falls apart. When winding the herl, make the first turn so the colored part of the quill (the bald part) is to the rear of the fly; the leading edge should always be herl. Aim to make touching turns, but don't worry if you can't, the fluorescent underbody color will add something extra to the fly.
As you make each turn the herl will tighten up and you can use this to your advantage as it forms an impression of a thorax on the pattern. Tie down the herl just short of the eye.
Throat hackle: This should be in the same proportion as the tail. For speed, learn to make a pinch-and-loop with an upward pull, rather than having to invert the hook and pull down. (you can find more information about this technique on the website listed below.
Hot-spot head: Trim the butts of the throat hackle then form a head, whip-finish and varnish. Don't worry if the head is slightly large - it makes an attractive fluorescet aiming point.
I did find the website again and read up on this new ingredient for me. Here is what I found;
David McPhail's Diawl Bach patterns (and how and when to fish them) see March 2002 issue of Fly-fishing and Fly-tying. Moc Morgan in Trout & Salmon flies of Wales attributes the pattern to a 'Mr Evans from Cardiff'.
Visit the website at: http://www.flyfishing-and-flytying.co.uk/
To submit a pattern email me it will post here and in the forum.
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