I first tied a Trout Tufty at the beginning of the trout season a couple of years ago knowing that following a very wet winter I would need some heavy metal to fish my local river. A 4.6mm tungsten bead would get the fly down when the river was running high and if the water was coloured, a bit of bright colour wouldn’t go amiss. My rule of thumb is that if I can still see my boots when standing knee deep, the fish will see a fly and I’ll fish.
Egg yarn
Nick Thomas
With the beaded hook in the vice, I was about to start adding materials when I noticed some offcuts of egg yarn in the bin on the back of my vice left over from tying some saltwater baitfish. My first thought was to tie in some orange yarn behind the bead as the last step in tying. Then it occurred to me if I started with the yarn, I could pull it into the bead and get a neat hot spot that filled up the slot in the tungsten. Since the hot spot would be under the hook when fished the fly could be taken for an alevin or a small fish or fry, the orange tuft imitating either an egg sac or gills.
The solution to getting the yarn into the bead slot was simple, just tie a loop in the end of a piece of tippet using a uni knot, split a length of yarn and insert into the loop. Hold the ends of the yarn, pull the knot tight and trim off the tag end.
Trout Tufty
Nick Thomas
Trout Tufty
A heavy and colorful nymph for high and colored water
Nymph
Nick Thomas
Hook
Fasna F-425 #10
Bead
Get Slotted 4.6mm slotted tungsten
Thread
12/0 tan
Tails
Pheasant tail
Tuft
Wapsi orange egg yarn
Rib
Copper DMC metallic thread
Body
Vicuna HES dubbing
Run on the tying thread behind the bead and remove the tag end.
Push the end of the monofilament holding the yarn through the bead slot, bend it back around the bead, lift the yarn and catch in the mono with a couple of thread turns.
Set the bead in place against the hook eye, fold the yarn forward and run the thread up against the bead securing the monofilament around the bead and locking the bead in place. Trim off the end f the mono.
Attach hackle pliers to the yarn and hang it off the front of the fly to keep it out of the way while carrying out the next steps.
Take the thread down to the bend, catch in the tail fibres and the rib, tie down up the shank.
Dub the body and counter wrap with the rib.
Tie in the rib and break off the waste.
Add a little more dubbing against the bead, smear the thread with varnish and whip finish.
Release the yarn from the hackle pliers, fold back over the body, pull taught and trim at an angle to finish off the tuft.
Easy
Grayling Tufty
Nick Thomas
Grayling Tufty
Nick Thomas
Grayling Tufty
A Tufty adapted for grayling fishing
Nymph
Nick Thomas
Hook
Fasna F-425 #10
Bead
Get Slotted 4.6mm slotted tungsten
Thread
12/0 black
Tuft
Wapsi pink egg yarn
Rib
Black DMC metallic thread
Body
Troutline black pepper squirrel dubbing
Easy
Tufty grayling. Nick Thomas
Tufty Baitfish
The same method can be used with a counter hole bead and two different coloured tufts of egg yarn on opposite sides of the hook to make a little baitfish imitation.
Tufty Baitfish
Nick Thomas
Tufty Baitfish
Nick Thomas
Tufty Baitfish
Baitfish fly
Nick Thomas
Hook
Fasna F-444 #10
Bead
Get Slotted copper 4.6mm tungsten counter hole
Thread
UNI-Mono
Body
UTC opal mirage tinsel
Belly
Wapsi orange egg yarn
Back
Wapsi olive egg yarn
Run on the thread behind the bead and trim off the tag end.
Tie olive and orange egg yarn loops and thread the ends of the mono through the bead from the back.
Fold one end back and catch in followed by the other.
Adjust the position of the tufts and the bead and lock in place with further thread wraps.
Clip the ends of the yarn in hackle pliers in front of the bead.
Tie in a length of tinsel and wrap down the hook and back, wrap over with the tying thread.
Whip finish and varnish the body.
Unclip the yarn, brush back over the body and trim to shape.
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