Published Dec 10. 2017 - 6 years ago
Updated or edited Dec 10. 2017

Safety Pin Fly

I received an email from one of my subscribers of my You Tube Channel (Richard Katzman Fly Tying). He asked me if I could make a fly using a safety pin. At first I thought this was joke, until I was speaking to an old time angler (90 years old) who told me that he used to use safety pins to fish with as a kid. He couldn't afford to tie feathers and such onto the safety pin. He told me he would catch Bass and Pickerel with it. After speaking awhile he told me that it was like a lure, because the safety pin shined in the water from the sun. I decided to make a fly from a safety pin. This is how it turned out.

I used a standard size safety pin, bent the pin back to a 90 degree angle and placed it into my vise. I tied it like any other fly, black thread to dress the shank, then I used purple Cactus Chenille, for the rib, I used a strand of gray yarn for the rib, tied on two pieces of gray hackle 3/4 of the way down and palmerd the a couple of turns around the shank next to the safety pin clasp and repeated the process again for my side of the pin. I then tied off the thread with a half hitch knot and four whip finish knots. Head cement was used to coat the thread. The next thing was to place two haligraphic eyes onto the clasp of the pin. I used thick CA glue and the hardener (used in word working) to set the eyes like concrete. The final touch was to bend the pin forward and then bend in a 90 degree angle to act like a hook.

Note: The purple cactus chenille was used to add a little sparkle to the pin in order to interest the fish.
I asked the old time angler if my safety pin would catch fish? He told me that he wished he had it 75 years ago. He asked me to take him along if I was going to try the Safety Pin Fly out next summer. I told him it would be my pleasure. We'll see.
Location: 
Forestburgh, NY USA
Category: 
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