The Dark Watchet.
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 8:37 am
For the current swap with a Halloween theme I wanted to tie a classic spider that already was "Halloweeny" in its color scheme. Immediately I thought of the Dark Watchet. I'll be honest, I've never fished this spider before and only attempted it a couple times in the past.. with results that were less than acceptable looking we'll say.
The recipe I used to follow said about spooling Pearsall's purple and gold(orange 6a), and overlapping the wraps to form the segmented looking silk body while keeping the dubbed mole in place. No. Nope, no way. It's the most frustrating thing ever. So I thought why not just dub tyne orange and rib the purple in tight fashion.
For this fly you'll be needing the following;
Thread: Pearsall's 6a orange
Rib: Pearsall's purple
Body: A touch of mole. Water Rat is the traditional dubbing but, that's impossible to find.
Hackle: I used dun starling neck but, jackdaw or coot is the traditional choice.
First mount the working thread (orange) and take it back to the barb.
Tie in your rib by taking it up under the thread and letting the weight of the bobbin hold it in place. You'll want to pull it through so just a small amount is left to cover and secure.
Here take your mole and just scrape out a small amount. I un-twisted the silk and lightly waxed it so the dubbing would stay in place.
Give it a twist to tighten back up and now take it forward to about an eye length behind the eye.
Rib your fly with the purple silk in close turns making sure the orange shows through on each wrap. I do about 8-10 wraps.
Hacking the fly you'll want to be careful, the neck feathers from jackdaw/coot or in this case dun starling are fragile. I tied it in by stroking the feathers back and tying in by the tip. Two wraps should do it. I like to tie back over the stem for added durability and form the head.
Congratulations! Your Dark Watchet looks fantastic, you're well on your way.
I hope the instructions and photos are clear for everyone, enjoy!
The recipe I used to follow said about spooling Pearsall's purple and gold(orange 6a), and overlapping the wraps to form the segmented looking silk body while keeping the dubbed mole in place. No. Nope, no way. It's the most frustrating thing ever. So I thought why not just dub tyne orange and rib the purple in tight fashion.
For this fly you'll be needing the following;
Thread: Pearsall's 6a orange
Rib: Pearsall's purple
Body: A touch of mole. Water Rat is the traditional dubbing but, that's impossible to find.
Hackle: I used dun starling neck but, jackdaw or coot is the traditional choice.
First mount the working thread (orange) and take it back to the barb.
Tie in your rib by taking it up under the thread and letting the weight of the bobbin hold it in place. You'll want to pull it through so just a small amount is left to cover and secure.
Here take your mole and just scrape out a small amount. I un-twisted the silk and lightly waxed it so the dubbing would stay in place.
Give it a twist to tighten back up and now take it forward to about an eye length behind the eye.
Rib your fly with the purple silk in close turns making sure the orange shows through on each wrap. I do about 8-10 wraps.
Hacking the fly you'll want to be careful, the neck feathers from jackdaw/coot or in this case dun starling are fragile. I tied it in by stroking the feathers back and tying in by the tip. Two wraps should do it. I like to tie back over the stem for added durability and form the head.
Congratulations! Your Dark Watchet looks fantastic, you're well on your way.
I hope the instructions and photos are clear for everyone, enjoy!
