Steelhead Nightmare

With Mr. Crandall in the house this Saturday Dec,15th, it only seems appropriate that the Fly of the Week is one of his creations. All fly tyers have a personal philosophy for fly design and Rob is no exception. He subscribes to the "more is better" school of thought and artfully attaches more fish catching materials per inch than any feather twister I know. His winter fly patterns cover all the color spectrums and range from flashy to understated. The one common denominator is that all of his patterns get down to where they need to be and they all catch fish.

Although officially considered "guide flies" Rob's collection of winter Steelhead patterns incorporate a mix of natural and artificial materials that complement and entice. Tying simplicity is not a consideration, however, action, profile, and effectiveness are. While not super fast to tye, most tyers with a moderate amount of skill can quickly master this pattern and whip up enough copies to keep them out of trouble for most of the day. If in doubt, tye a few extras. Running out on the river would be a nightmare.

• Start by attaching the intruder wire and lead eyes to the shank.

• At the butt of the fly make a dubbing ball out of the Ice Dub which will help flare the Marabou stack for the rear wing.

• After placement of the marabou tie in the polar chenille then wrap up the body of the fly.

• Place a stack (5-10 pieces) of the ostrich along the top of the shank. Then add 12ish strands of Krystal Flash on top of the Ostrich

• Then place one of each color of the grizzly hackles on each side of the fly. I recommend doing one side at a time.

• Put a few turns of the guinea in front of the wings.

• Whip finish, glue and it’s ready to fish.