Staring Sunray Shadow
Published Oct 29th 2008
The classic - but with eyes
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+  A row tied by Ken Bonde Larsen |
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It seems almost sacrilegious to try to "improve" such a fly, but in its own modest way the Staring Sunray Shadow can be considered slightly better than the original. Some people will argue strongly against this while others will only put a Sunray Shadow with body and eyes on their tippet. Because that's what the Staring Sunray Shadow is - a Sunray Shadow with eyes and a body.
Ray Brook's origonal Sunray Shadow is as simple as flies come. A wing and... nothing more, actually. The body is formed by the tube and there is no tail or any other fancy appendixes.
The staring version adds a body to give some more glare under the water and it also adds eyes under a small coating of epoxy. I have heard renowned Danish salmon angler and guide Henrik Mortensen say this fly can see where the fish are... That's hardly a fact, but it is a good fly.
As I also said, some people will consider it a desecration of Brook's pattern, but I always carry both the bare and the staring version in my boxes - or rather bags, because I usually keep my tube flies in ziploc plastic bags and the hooks in a small container.
Well, 'nuff said. Here is the pattern and setp-by-step images of Ken Bonde Larsen tying the fly.
Materials
| Tube | 1" plastic |
| Body | Braided mylar tube - silver or greenish/yellowish |
| Thread | Black |
| Underwing | Yellow Arctic fox |
| Upper wing | Two sections of black goat |
| Flash | Thin, clear, smooth flash, Angel Hair or similar |
| Topping | Peacock herl |
Tying instructions
See the images below
Finished fly
