1. Form a tail with 6-7 strands of Picric dyed pheasant tail. Leave the long pheasant tail strands intact (these will form the body) and return the thread to the eye.

2. Catch in a strand of UTC hot orange wire and lock in towards the bend, stopping at the base of the tail.

3. Form a tapered body with the thread.

4. Wrap the pheasant tail and rib with the UTC wire.

5. Form a thorax with ice dub leaving plenty of room at the eye for the hackle. I like Jan Siman's Golden Green Ice dub (shade 27) but standard peacock ice dub is fine.

6. Split a chartreuse jungle cock eye evenly and tie in as a cheek on either side of the thorax.

7. Select a hackle from a natural jungle cock cape.

8. Catch in the hackle tip first with 6 or 7 tight turns and trim the waste. Give the hackle 1 or 2 turns depending on your preference.

9. The finished fly. This is a great pattern for fishing straight-through or as part of a washing -line set-up. Please be careful when using materials dyed in Picric Acid as it is a carcinogenic substance.

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Tight Lines, Troutbum

Looks good Martin very well tied ,keep them coming mate

Lovely fly. Where can I get picric dyed pheasant tail ?

Charlie

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Sonik Sports Team Pitsford Pirates

I'm not sure where you'd get it Charlie. I was given a few picric tails but I'm not sure where they originated from. The Irish guys seem to be keen on picric or Gerry at Artifly might be able to help.

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Tight Lines, Troutbum

Yep...could live with that puppy dangling from my leader early next season. Nice work Troutbum.

Great looking fly - There is somthing about picric treated materials that just "lift" a fly pattern. Nice to see the feather of the JC being used that way as well. Im certainly going to use that as a hackle in some of my midge patterns for next year . Thanks for posting - given me food for though.

Jim

Try sam2002 on e-bay, he dose the odd picric specials, PT , capes, Seals fur and a lovely Picric deer hair, but as martin points out, it is a dangerous substance and should be treated so when using.
remember when tying picric materials, the licking and weting of materials when tying the fly should be ommited.

http://myworld.ebay.ie/sam-2002

I tried to buy Picric acid from a chemist 30 years ago, yes we had real chemists then! He refused because it is a highly explosive substance. It was also at a time when IRA bombs were going off. Interesting that the Irish fly tyers are able to source Picric. I have just looked it up on Wiki and not only is it explosive, but it is also unstable!
I may be mistaken, but i think picric is the synthetic version of the substance in onion skin that apparently produces a yellowish dye when boiled and suitable fixer/mordant is used.

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"Angling may be said to be so like mathematics in that it can never be fully understood" - Izaak Walton

nice flie, wee bit of lead underbody will make this worth a try for grayling