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Rob McLean
Wyoming

Rob has been a professional trapper for more years than he cares to count.  He also markets a wide range of quality furs and other fly tying materials to fly fishing suppliers. 

 

Rob is an excellent fly tier with a talent for innovation.  His primary specialties are small quill bodied flies tied with porcupine guard hairs. 

 

Rob also loves to fly fish and lives in an area that provides some of the best opportunity in the USA, beautiful rugged Wyoming.  

 

Select one of Rob's flies below.

 

Slick Water Rusty Spinner (Instructions)

Slick Water Caddis Larva (Instructions)

Slick Water Compra Dun (Instructions)

Damsel Nymph (Instructions)

Cut Wing Quill Body (Instructions)

 

   

Be sure to visit our on-line store at

 http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.

 

 

Cut Wing Quill Body

Tier:  Rob McLean

 

Hook: TMC 100.

Thread: Yellow 8/0.

Body: PMD or Sulfur McLean's Quill Body.

Tail: Yellow or Olive Super Tail.

Hackle: Ginger.

Wing: South Fork Sulfur or PMD Dyed Turkey Flats.

Legs: Speckled Brown Indian Hen Back.

 

Note:  This is a footprint fly in that the hackle is trimmed so that the fly rides low on the thorax.

 

 

Instructions

 

Prepare the wing by selecting flats of similar size and structure with opposing curves.  Then lightly mist them with tuffilm.  Cut the wing with scissors by cutting parallel with the stem of the feather.  Next cut down the feather at an angle to form the wing.  I prefer this to burning wings as I can see where the shaft of the feather is at all times and can't when I tried to burn them.  This gives me more consistent results. 

 

Measure the feathers you have prepared against the hook shank.  You want them a shank long less the eye of the hook.  Make sure you trim close to the feather shaft on both sides in the area on the hook and mount the pair of wings with the tips toward the eye of the hook.

 

Bring the thread to the front of the wing and erect them by building up a thread button in front of the wing.  Figure 8 between them to divide them the wing should be cocked like a natural.  Bring the thread to the rear of the hook and build a thread button slightly down the bend of the hook.  

 

Take 2 fibers of super tail with the curves going up on the top of the hook shank.  Then pass the thread directly in front of the thread button over the tail fibers.  Vary the amount of thread tension when you do this as it will determine how much your fibers splay.   This method is hard to master but is the quickest way to get beautiful divided tails and works well with spade hackle also. 

 

Tie in the quill body by the tapered end and build a nice slim even thread base to the butt of

 

Tie in a hackle of the standard dry fly size.  I like to do this by cross mounting my hackle.  This is done right over where I tied in my quill, with the tip of the feather pointing right at me.  Make sure your thread base has no bumps. 

 

The advantage to a side mount is your hackle starts straight instead of twisting and you get no errant barbules at the beginning of wrapping.  Take 3 turns behind the wing and 2 or 3 in front, trim off and whip finish.  I then lacquer head.  

 

Trim a notch in the bottom of the hackle so the fly sits on its thorax.  Keep the size of the wing small and angled correctly to keep the fly from spinning.

 

Select one of Rob's flies below.

 

Slick Water Rusty Spinner (Instructions)

Slick Water Caddis Larva (Instructions)

Slick Water Compra Dun (Instructions)

Damsel Nymph (Instructions)

Cut Wing Quill Body (Instructions)

 

Return to Rob's Introduction.

 

 

Damsel Nymph

Tier:  Rob McLean

 

Hook: TMC 3761.

Thread: Olive 6/0 or 8/0.

Body: Olive McLean's Quill Body or McLean's Mottled Quill.

Wingcase: Tyvek colored with marker olive with brown highlights.

Head/Thorax: Golden Olive McLean's Velveteen Dry Fly Dubbing.

Eyes: Burned Monofilament.

Legs: Golden Olive Mallard Breast.

Tail: Golden Olive Marabou (half the shank length).

 

Instructions 

 

- Tie in thread base to back of hook and bring thread forward to two eye lengths behind the eye of the hook. 

- Mount eyes with figure 8 wraps. 

- Take thread to back of the hook again and tie in marabou and quill body. Use left over marabou to form an even nice body.

- Wrap over marabou and quill body with thread to form a slim taper ending half way up hook shank. 

- Apply a drop of lacquer. 

- Wrap the quill up to form a body apply a drop of lacquer to the body. 

- Dub a slim noodle and make about 2 turns just ahead of the body. 

- Tie in legs small clump on each side tied up against dubbing to make them stick out. 

- Tie in the tyvek wing case leaving it long enough to pull over the head. 

- Dub a slim noodle and wrap over the wraps used to tie in the wing case. 

- Lift the front of the wing case up and take a couple of wraps forming a thorax. 

- Figure 8 around the eyes to form the head and pull tyvek over and tie off. 

- Whip finish and lacquer the head. 

 

Optional:  Weave strips of flashabou along the sides using spotted strip wrap.

 

Select one of Rob's flies below.

 

Slick Water Rusty Spinner (Instructions)

Slick Water Caddis Larva (Instructions)

Slick Water Compra Dun (Instructions)

Damsel Nymph (Instructions)

Cut Wing Quill Body (Instructions)

 

Return to Rob's Introduction.

 

 

Slick Water Caddis Larva

Tier:  Rob McLean

 

Hook: TMC #2457.

Thread: Brown 6/0 or 8/0.

Dorsal Quills: Brown McLean's Quill Body (one or two quills depending on hook size save the butts of quill left over from other tying chores to use here).

Body: Caddis Green McLean's Quill Body.

Head: Dark Brown McLean's Velveteen Dry Fly Dubbing.

Legs: Brown Speckled Hen Back.

 

 

Instructions using Spotted Strip Wrap

 

- Tie dorsal quills and body quill in at the rear of the hook. 

- Build taper with thread 2/3 of the way up the shank. 

- Apply a drop of lacquer. 

- Wrap the body quill around the hook passing underneath the dorsal quill. 

- The next wrap around the hook, the body quill passes over the dorsal quill. 

- Continue to wrap under then over until the body is 2/3 of the way up the shank. 

- Form a slim dubbing noodle and dub the thorax. 

- Tie in the speckled hen fibers. 

- Barbules should be just short of the hook point. 

- Apply a drop of lacquer to finished body. 

- Whip finish and cement head.

 

Note:  The colors I have found effective for this nymph are olive, caddis green, tan, with brown backs and dark brown heads.

 

Select one of Rob's flies below.

 

Slick Water Rusty Spinner (Instructions)

Slick Water Caddis Larva (Instructions)

Slick Water Compra Dun (Instructions)

Damsel Nymph (Instructions)

Cut Wing Quill Body (Instructions)

 

Return to Rob's Introduction.

 

 

Slick Water Compra Dun

Tier:  Rob McLean

 

Hook: TMC 100

Body: PMD McLean's Quill Body

Thorax: PMD McLean's Velveteen Dry Fly Dubbing

Wing: Pale Chartruse dyed Coastal Deer

Tail: Yellow or Olive McLean's Super Tail

 

Instructions

 

- Form a thread base 2/3 of the way back on the hook. 

- Advance the thread 2/3 of the way back up the hook shank. 

- Apply a drop of lacquer to the thread base. 

- Take a small pinch of deer hair and stack tie in securely with the tips towards the eye.

- Bring thread to the front of the wing holding the wing upright build a tapered thread button securely against the wing. 

- Bring thread to the rear of the hook slightly down the hook bend. 

- Build up a thread button take two fibers of super tail laying them on top of shank.

- Pass thread directly in front of the thread button over tail fibers erecting and splaying tail. 

- Tie in quill body by the tapered end. 

- Build thread taper to the butts of the deer hair. 

- Apply a drop of lacquer on thread foundation. 

- Wrap quill to form body tying off just behind butts of deer hair.

- Apply another drop of lacquer on body. 

- Dub slim noodle and cover wing junction angling the dubbing slightly to cover any bare spots under the hook. 

- Take 2 wraps behind and 2 wraps in front. 

- Whip finish and cement head. 

 

Note:  This is my favorite may fly imitation it is effective in black, PMD, slate dun, olive, yellow, grey olive, and brown.

 

Select one of Rob's flies below.

 

Slick Water Rusty Spinner (Instructions)

Slick Water Caddis Larva (Instructions)

Slick Water Compra Dun (Instructions)

Damsel Nymph (Instructions)

Cut Wing Quill Body (Instructions)

 

Return to Rob's Introduction.

 

 

Slick Water Rusty Spinner

Tier:  Rob McLean

 

Hook: TMC 100.

Thread: Brown 8/0.

Body: McLean's Rust Quill Body or McLean's Mottled Quill.

Tail: Olive Dun or Rust Super Tail.

Thorax: Rusty Spinner Velveteen Dry Fly Dubbing.

Wing: Light Dun McLean's Bar Dyed Turkey Flats.

 

Instructions

 

- Wrap thread base 2/3 of the shank leaving tail mounting area bare.  

- Bring thread back up towards the eye stopping 2/3 up the hook from the bend.  

- Apply a drop of lacquer to thread base.  

- Tie in small clump of turkey flat tips pointing toward the eye. 

- Divide and post turkey into spent wings. 

- Wrap thread to back of the hook slightly down the bend. 

- Build small button of thread and take two fibers of super tail laying them on top of shank.  

- Pass thread directly in front of the thread button over tail fibers erecting and splaying tail.  

- Tie in quill body by the tapered end.  

- Build thread taper to the butts of the turkey flats.  

- Apply a drop of lacquer on thread foundation.  

- Wrap quill to form body tying off just behind butts of turkey.  

- Apply another drop of lacquer on body.  

- Dub slim noodle and cover wing junction with figure 8 wraps. 

- Whip finish and lacquer head.

 

Select one of Rob's flies below.

 

Slick Water Rusty Spinner (Instructions)

Slick Water Caddis Larva (Instructions)

Slick Water Compra Dun (Instructions)

Damsel Nymph (Instructions)

Cut Wing Quill Body (Instructions)

 

Return to Rob's Introduction.

 

   

Be sure to visit our on-line store at

 http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.

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