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Decemberby Rich Johnson
Sockeye Fry
This is a variation of the Thunder Creek
series of flies developed and popularized by Keith Fulsher. The original
version of this pattern is shown on page 19 of the Fly Patterns of Alaska
by the Alaska Flyfishers. Designed to imitate a red salmon smolt that
migrates down river early in the spring, this fly fishes best when dressed
sparse and moves at the same speed as the current. This pattern also
serves well in our lakes as a stickleback imitation. |
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Hook: #10 -12 Streamer, 3 to 6XL, ring eye
is preferred
Thread: White 6/0 for tying; Red 6/0 for gills
Body: Flat tinsel, silver or pearlescent
Wing: White bucktail on bottom; Brown bucktail on top
Eyes: Painted (or self-stick) yellow with black pupil
Head: Coated with epoxy or nail polish
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1) This shows the most popular styles
of hooks that can be used for this pattern. From the top to the
bottom: Mustad #36620 size 10, the hook called for in Fly Patterns of
Alaska); Partridge CS5 Thunder Creek hook size 8; Tiemco 9394 size 10,
this nickel plated hook is often seen on this type of pattern; TMC
5263 size 10, a 3XL streamer hook.
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2) When using a (non-nickel)
hook, attach your tinsel (silver side down) where the gills will be at the
back of the head. |
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3) After wrapping back to the
bend and then forward, tie off, trim excess, and coat with clear nail
polish or head cement. Allow to dry before continuing. |
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4) Or… Start with a nickel
plated hook and attach your thread behind the eye, wrapping rearward to a
spot you want the gills to be. Approximately ¼ shank length on my fly. |
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5) Cut a sparse amount of white
bucktail, stack the tips and measure to be slightly longer than the entire
hook |
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6) Tie the bundle on the bottom
of the hook, with the going forward over the eye of the hook. Make sure to
keep the bundle centered on the bottom of the shank and trim the butt ends
straight. |
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7) Repeat the last two steps
with your natural brown bucktail, keeping this bundle centered on the top
of the shank. Place a small whip finish near the eye and trim your thread.
(This is one of the patterns that shows the need for learning the whip
finish with your fingers is worthwhile.) |
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8) Attach the red thread at the
back of the head area. Keep your wraps tight and few |
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9) Fold back the brown bucktail
and secure it by wrapping back over the few red wraps at the back of the
head. |
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10) Repeat the process with the
white bucktail on the bottom. Whip finish and trim the thread |
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11) Coat the entire head with
nail polish or epoxy. Allow to dry. |
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12) Apply (or paint) your eyes.
Coat the entire head again and allow to dry. ( If you are not putting eyes
on your patterns, one coat of polish is usually enough to protect it from
teeth.) |
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13) A variation of this fly is
called Dave’s Fry Fly and can be found on page 12 of the Fly Patterns of
Alaska. Simply add a matched pair of thin grizzly hackles before folding
the hair back as shown in this photograph. This fly is often tied in
larger (#4-8) sizes. |