Stoat's Tail

Salmon fly, an attractor, for salmon and sea trout. Intermediate.

An oval silver tag, a golden pheasant crest tail, a black floss body ribbed with oval silver, a black throat hackle and a low black hair wing.

Materials

Steps

  1. Attach thread Attach the thread at 86% of the way along the shank with a few turns and trim the tag end.
  2. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to the start of the bend in touching turns.
  3. Tie in: fine oval silver tinsel Tie in the fine oval silver tinsel with a few firm thread turns.
  4. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to 6% of the way along the shank in touching turns.
  5. Wind: fine oval silver tinsel Wind the fine oval silver tinsel forward to 6% of the way along the shank in 4 turns. A few close turns at the start of the bend.
  6. Tie off: fine oval silver tinsel Tie off the fine oval silver tinsel with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  7. Tie in: golden pheasant crest Tie in the golden pheasant crest, leaving one and a half times the gape sticking out behind, angled about 14° up from the shank.
  8. Tie in: silver oval tinsel Tie in the silver oval tinsel with a few firm thread turns.
  9. Tie in: black silk floss Tie in the black silk floss with a few firm thread turns.
  10. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to 84% of the way along the shank in touching turns.
  11. Wind: black silk floss Wind the black silk floss forward to 84% of the way along the shank in 12 turns. Back to the tail and forward again: a smooth double layer, slightly tapered.
  12. Tie off: black silk floss Tie off the black silk floss with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  13. Wind: silver oval tinsel Wind the silver oval tinsel forward to 84% of the way along the shank in 5 turns. Evenly spaced open turns.
  14. Tie off: silver oval tinsel Tie off the silver oval tinsel with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  15. Tie in: black cock hackle fibres Tie in the black cock hackle fibres under the shank as a beard, reaching the gape back. A little shorter than the wing; reaching about the hook point.
  16. Tie in: stoat's tail or black squirrel Tie in a bunch of stoat's tail or black squirrel so the tips reach well past the bend (3.7× the gape from the tie-in point), angled about 8° up from the shank. A small, cleaned bunch, low over the body.
  17. Trim: stoat's tail or black squirrel Trim the butts of the stoat's tail or black squirrel flush. Butts cut at a taper for a small head.
  18. Whip finish Form a small head, whip finish with 5 turns and cut the thread. Two or three coats of black varnish.

History

Who tied it first is not documented; John Gray says only that it has been around a long time, though GlobalFlyFisher's video page gives James Wright as the pattern's author. The wing was originally hair from a stoat's tail; dyed black squirrel is the usual substitute. Hugh Falkus, as Gray quotes him, rated it "one of the best we have" for summer fishing with a floating line, and Sea Trout Nights counts it among the most popular sea-trout flies of modern times.

Fishing it

A summer fly for a floating line, at its best in low, clear water and in the evening or other low light, and a good fly for grilse and for sea trout at night on rivers. It is tied on singles, doubles, trebles and tubes.

Sources