Published Dec 8. 2002 - 21 years ago
Updated or edited Nov 22. 2022

Screwhead Matuka

GFF partner Martin Joergensen has been fooling aruond with Bidoz Products brand new Kameleon Heads. These aluminium heads screw onto almost any straight eye hook - such as the one on the Screwhead Matuka.

The neat Kamelon heads from French Andre Bidoz made these efficient Matukas possible.
This is in most ways an ordinary Matuka fly, and could actually be almost any pattern as long as it was tied on a straight eye hook. The neat thing about the fly is not the tail or body, but - obviously - the head.

Silver Screwhead Matuka

Black Screwhead Matuka

Kameleon Matuka

The fly ought rightfully to be called the Kameleon Matuka - named after the cone used in the head. But I thought Screwhead sounded a bit better.
The Kameleon head is quite an intricate construction made by the French manufacturer of cones and beads Andre Bidoz. Its shape allows it to be slipped over the eye of the hook, be turned and then lock in place, adding a really neat head to the fly and at the same time adding weight. Stick on eyes will finish the picture, and using such a head, your can turn any fly into a very different character in seconds. No special tricks are needed, neither is glue, and any fly with a little space behind the eye can be converted.

You can see the Kameleon head and more of Bidoz' producets here.

Simple pattern

This pattern is as simple as they come: a dubbed body, a Matuka wing and a hackle. It is the head that makes it stand out - to the extend that it stands out at all. The head is light enough to be convenient to cast and heavy enough to bring the fly down.

Screwheads or Kameleon heads

Screwhead Matuka
Pattern type: 
Cold saltwater fly
Originator: 
Martin Joergensen
Materials: 
Hook
Straight eye streamer, size 4-6
Thread
Brown
Body
Tan Scintilla dubbing
Rib
Oval medium silver
Wing
Two brown hen feathers
Hackle
One brown hen feather
Head
Bidoz Kameleon Alu head, silver or black
Eyes
Stick on eyes
Skill level/difficulty: 
Easy
Instruction: 
  1. Tie in the rib at the the hook bend
  2. Dub the body to a slender, cylindrical shape. Leave a little space behind the hook eye
  3. Prepare two matched hen feathers by stripping off webby material
  4. Hole them with the dull side against each other and put them over the body
  5. Measure the feathers to a suitable length - abot 1½ times the hook length
  6. Strip off excess material on both top an bottom of the feathers
  7. Strip off excess material in the full body length on the underside of the feathers leaving only the tail intact
  8. Tie down the feathers in front of the body
  9. Rib firmly through the feathers with 4-5 open wraps
  10. Tie down the rib and trim surplus
  11. Prepare a feather for the hackle by stripping off the soft part
  12. Tie in as a wet fly hackle and wind it 3-4 times
  13. Tie down and cut surplus off
  14. Whip finish and varnish
  15. Slip a Kameleon head over the hook eye, turn and lock in place

Comments

Martin Joergensen's picture

Jack, As you can ...

Jack,

As you can see in the article, Bidoz-products are available from Bidoz.com. There's a link in the text.
The rest of the materials are commonly accessible in any flyshop.

Martin

The bidoz head is un...

The bidoz head is unique qnd even more so is the sourcing, I think that authors need to mention where one can purchase unique parts, feathers,hooks when they are used in a fly pattern or application. It fustrates one to get the desire to use a product and then find no source.

.

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