Alaska Flyfishers
Fly of the Month
by Rich Johnson



APRIL'S FLY: Battle Creek Special

The Battle Creek Special has become quite popular in late summer and fall for rainbow trout and dolly varden when the water is full of salmon eggs and flesh. It is also a popular stealhead and salmon pattern.
Thread: 6/0 or 3/0 white
Hook: #4-10 3X long streamer
Lead: .025 or .030 Tail: Marabou, white
Body: Chenille, shell pink
Body Hackle: Saddle, white
Collar: Saddle hackle, orange

Wrap lead on the hook shank from above the hook point to two eye widths short of the eye.
Attach your thread behind the eye, creating a solid taper in front of the lead. Spiral the thread back and create another taper at the rear locking the lead in place.
Measure the tail to be as long as the hook. Attach the marabou on top of the hook binding the base down to the taper behind the lead wraps.
Attach the body hackle by the tip on the far side top. Attach the chenille on the near side top. Both are tied in over the rear taper.
Wrap the body forward with tight wraps, tying off just in front of the lead. Trim the excess material.
Palmer the body hackle forward, placing the first wrap to the inside of the chenille, tie off and trim the stem. Using the base of a hackle, tie in the collar by its tip.
Use three or four wraps of the hackle, stroking the fibers rearward each wrap. Tie off, clip the stem, and whip finish.

Previous Flies
March: Pearl Marabou Smolt
February: Crystal Egg Wooly Bugger
January: Tangle Lakes Teaser
December: Bead-Head Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle

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Photos and text by Rich Johnson, used by permission.
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