Stealth Stonefly

Tying the extended body 1. Cut a 3mm wide strip of thin foam. 2. Insert the needle into the braid and feed the braid along the needle. The end will fray a little at the start, but this end will be cut off later. Once the needle is covered cut the braid leaving about 25mm/1 inch free at the point. Lock the eye of the needle in your vice. 3. Run the tying thread onto the braid in front of the frayed section of braid, make a whip finish leaving a long tag end of thread. 4. Tie in a strip of 1mm foam on top of the braid and tie it down towards the needle point for the desired length of the body tying in the thread tag from the whip finish at the same time. 5. Stretch the foam and wind in overlapping turns to form the body. Tie in and trim off the waste foam. 6. Make a final whip finish and cut the thread leaving a long tag. 7. Slide the body off the needle, trim the frayed braid at the back of the body close to the foam and melt the end near a flame. Tying the fly 1. Run the thread on at the jig angle and trim off the tag end. 2. Take the thread halfway down the shank in touching turns and tie in the foam body. Trim off the waste foam, braid and thread ends and add further thread turns to secure the body in place. Add a dab of superglue onto the thread wraps. 3. Tie in a length of poly-yarn over the body, trim with a tapered cut and cover the cut ends with thread wraps. 4. Cut a length of 6mm organza ribbon, trim one end to a point and hold the cut edges near a flame to fuse the fibres. Tie in over the wing fibres and remove the waste end. 5. Cut a 4mm wide strip of 2mm foam and use a hole punch or a craft knife to cut a hole in the centre. Tie in hanging back over the wing such that when folded forward the hole sits towards the front of the thorax. 6. Take a length of pink poly-yarn, fold it in half and tie in the ends forming a loop above the thorax. 7. Dub the thorax behind and in front of the pink yarn. 8. Take a length of wire and push one end through the loop of yarn. Fold the wire, thread both ends through the hole in the foam and pull the yarn loop through. Remove the wire. 9. Hold the end of the yarn loop, fold the foam forward and tie in at the jig angle. Smear the thread with varnish, whip finish and cut the thread. 10. Trim the pink yarn to length to form the sighter and trim the foam to form the head.