No self-respecting woman would ever be without a little black number in her wardrobe and no fly fisherman should be without one in their fly box. This generic little black number can be adapted in many ways with few other materials to give a huge range of wets, dries and nymphs that can meet most occasions so here we go!
Materials -
Hook - Kamasan B175 or B405 in size 12 or 14
Thread - Black
Tail - Black cock fibres
Body - Black thread or floss
Rib - Silver Wire
Hackle - Generic Black Cock or Hen
Assumption as always for right handed tying
Thread up your chosen hook to the end of the shank
Tie in your ribbing wire
Select a hackle, these are bulk generic black hackles that we all have somewhere!
Splay the fibres by running your thumb and forefinger down the stem towards the butt of the feather
Strip the flue from the base to leave the fibres
Pull a few fibres from the new base and tie in as the tail
Using your thread or floss if desired, build up a cigar shaped body
Once done run the wire up to form the ribbing and catch in with a couple of turns before breaking off
Strip your hackle back a bit more to give hook length fibres
Tie in behind the eye
Wrap the hackle around the hook about 3 times depending on how dressed you want your fly to be catching it in with a couple of turns before trimming and then whip in, finishing the head with a coat of varnish
Using a different hook size and pulling the hackle fibres down to form a beard hackle before finishing the head will give you a nice little black nymph
You can substitute the tail fibres on the original with GP tippets and then have a nice little Black Pennel. Omit the tail and slim down the body for a Black Spider. Use Fluo Orange thread on the head for a little attractor. The possibilities from this original base are endless so just get tying and see what you can come up with from it.
TLs
A Little Black Number!
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