Archives of Loren Williams Fly Tying Tutorials.
LW's Card Collector

trout with CC

MATERIALS

Hook: Mustad C49S #8-#14
Bead:
Gold Tungsten
Weight:
Lead Wire
Thread:
Dark Olive 6/0
Tail:
Indio Coq de Leon
Rib:
Pearl Quill Body
Abdomen:
Olive Venison Dubbing
Thorax:
Pink Fine UV Ice
Hackle:
Reverse Palmered Brown Rooster Hackle

* Quill Body, Fine UV Ice and Venison Dubbing all available through Performance Flies (info@performanceflies.com )

Click photos to enlarge!

LW's Card Collector

Place hook firmly in your vise.

LW's Card Collector

Add 8-wraps of lead wire and shove the coil up into the bead cavity. Match the lead wire to the diameter of the hook wire. This adds weight and keeps the bead in place while tying.

LW's Card Collector

Attach your thread and bring it to the rear.

LW's Card Collector

Select a well-market indio Coq de Leon feather and stroke out the fibers.

LW's Card Collector

Seperate about this many.

LW's Card Collector

Remove them and measure them for length (3/4 the hook shank or so).

LW's Card Collector

Secure them at the rear.

LW's Card Collector

Use the butt ends to build a taper to the wire.

LW's Card Collector

Grab some pearl Quill Body.

LW's Card Collector

Secure it behind the wire, using it to further the taper...

LW's Card Collector

...as you secure it back to the tail.

LW's Card Collector

Apply a tacky dubbing wax to your thread. I prefer Loon's High Tack Swax.

LW's Card Collector

Find your light olive Venison Bubbing.

LW's Card Collector

Touch it to the waxed thread...

LW's Card Collector

...allowing the wax to grab what it will.

LW's Card Collector

Spin the bobbin to twist the thread and lock in the fur and fibers.

LW's Card Collector

Wrap the mess forward to the thorax (1/2 mark of shank).

LW's Card Collector

Wax again.

LW's Card Collector

Find some pink fine UV ice dubbing. Chop it up a bit with your scissors.

LW's Card Collector

Touch it to the thread...

LW's Card Collector

...and spin.

LW's Card Collector

Cover the thorax region.

LW's Card Collector

Select a brown rooster hackle whose fibers are about twice the gap in length.

LW's Card Collector

Remove the base fibers to expose the stem.

LW's Card Collector

Tie it in behind the bead.

LW's Card Collector

Take your thread to the rear in wide open turns.

LW's Card Collector

Palmer the hackle to the rear in wide open turns. Shoot for 4 wraps.

LW's Card Collector

At the rear catch it in with your thread using one wrap...

LW's Card Collector

...and continue to wrap the thread forward through the hackle. This will act to strengthen the hackle.

LW's Card Collector

Bring the pearl ribbing up through the hackle too, for a neat effect and even more strength.

LW's Card Collector

Wax a wee bit of thread.

LW's Card Collector

Touch some more UV Ice to the thread. Spin thread.

LW's Card Collector

Dub just behind the bead to cover the thread wraps and form a soft collar that bleeds to the rear. Whip and clip.

Tying Note: I demonstrated a more conventional method of tying. When I tie these myself, I affix the ribbing then advance the thread forward to the bead. Then I add the hackle, touch dub the thorax, touch dub the abdomen so my thread naturally ends at the the rear. Then I proceed to palmer the hackle, secure with thread and add the rib.

LW's Card Collector

A completed Card Collector (palmered version).

LW's Card Collector

An alternate version eliminates the palmered hackle in favor of a traditional hackle collar. I am finding this dressing to be only slightly less productive. It will fish deeper.