Iron Sally A La Sarah

[flyangler]

What do y'all think? This was a real good fly for us last summer. Are the legs too long?

Here are the ingredients:

[DutchDryfly]

If it worked last summer I would say keep it like it is.

On the other hand if it was my fly I would shorten the front legs a bit.

[SanJuanWorm]

That fly would be MONEY. I have a similar cutthroat killer.

[toolman]

Very nice. Thanks for posting a pic. Do you tie a green/lime Sally as well?

[admin]

looks good Sarah. Sexy legs too, I wouldn't shorten them any.

[flyangler]

Thanks all.

 

Darren, I should have guessed you for a leg man. Seriously, thanks for the coral snake colored legs. I was saving them for hoppers but thought with that brass wire body they gave kind of an unfortunate-new-years-eve-outfit look to this nymph. In other words, so offensive to the fish that they would bite it out of territoriality, if nothing else.

 

Last summer's Iron Sallies had brown and black barred legs and the fish just Hoovered them up!

 

The other thing I like is that golden pheasant tail for the back and wing cases. Lacquered up with nail polish, it's easy and beautiful to handle.

[hydropsyche]

Good looking fly. Golden pheasant? Hard to see. Good idea, though, as it has great markings.

 

Can you post the receipe? Always looking for a good golden pattern, especially for the Bow.

 

ps. Your barb is showing.

[flyangler]

Iron Sally a la Sarah

 

Antennae and tails: yellow tan goose biot

Weight: no-lead wire

Body and rib: brass wire

Back and wing cases: golden pheasant tail lacquered with clear nail polish(I got mine at a craft store in the dried flower dept)

Thorax and bulk under the wire: sparkle antron, yellow tan

Legs: round rubber in coral snake or other color of choice

 

Cover the hook with thread. Add both tails and antennae. Finish the head now if you wish. Weight with a few turns of lead free wire. Tie in a 12" length of brass wire by it's middle. Cover with thread to the bend. Add a separate piece of ribbing wire. Put in the pheasant tail, then the antron. Wind the antron up to the lead free wire on the thorax. Tie off and trim. Wind the doubled length of brass wire in a carrot shape up into the thorax and tie off. Fold the pheasant over the back and secure with a few thread wraps. Wind the rib up and, lifting the pheasant tail butts, tie off the wire on top of the thorax. Add legs. Put some antron yarn on your thread like dubbing. Fold the wing case and secure with dubbed thread. Fold another wing case and do the same, catching in the rubber leg material to form the front pair of legs. Trim the remaining pheasant tail fibers in whatever way that suits you- folded back to look like a pronatum (sp?), extending out over the eye to look more like a head, or trimmed flush and covered with thread wraps. Much depends on how much feather you still have left at this point. I used a fairly short hook. You may choose to use two sections of tail fibers for your stonefly nymph.

[dryfly]

f/a,

 

Oohh! Where you finding tha NYC nail hardener these days? I like it better that Sally Hansen's HAN and London Drugs no longer stocks the NYC clear. Any help?

 

Thanks,

 

Clive

[hydropsyche]

I never realized how much weight you had in that fly. Sounds like it would sink like a rock. No wonder its effetive.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[flyangler]

Clive, NYC is just the cheapest brand of nail polish I can find. I get mine at Target, which has an online option if you really need it. But seriously, there is no magic in any particular brand. HAN tends to be slightly more viscous, but you can get to that if you like it by leaving the lid off your discount brand of nail enamel.

 

Hydropsyche- I use maybe 4 turns of lead free wire and both the gauge for this and the brass wire is rather small for the size of the hook. It's just what I have on hand. If you use a bead head, skip the weighted wire. If you have heavier gauge brass wire, you can wind it on as a single strand rather than a doubled strand. In any case, duck if the fish spits it.

[dryfly]

Thanks flyangler. I really like the nail hardeners as do many others. Heck, I've not bought actual head cement for years. The NYC brand is cheap and works well.