Blue Charm FFI
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Fly of the Month 08.23 Blue Charm
The “fly of the month” series for 2023 will celebrate the Fly Fishers International Fly Tying Group Fly Tying Skills Awards Program. Each month Tom and I will present one of the fly patterns used to evaluate a fly tyer’s skills toward a Bronze Level in the first six months, then one of the fly pattern used to evaluate a fly tyer’s skills toward a Silver Level in the later part of the year. The second fly pattern in the Silver Level series is a Salmon-Steelhead fly pattern. Both Atlantic and Pacific salmon as well as steelhead respond to the Blue Charm Hair Wing.
Blue Charm Hair Wing - Salmon/Steelhead Fly
Blue Charm is a very popular Salmon, as it is highly effective for catching Atlantic salmon. While fly fishing Chance pool on the Margaree River in Nova Scotia, Canada, Ron Gmerek caught one of only a few salmon that week on a low-water Blue Charm. This fly evolved as result of requests for making salmon flies less complicated. Salmon fly fishing anglers were tired of the typical Victorian patterns requiring feathers from 50+ birds, many of which where endangered.
A. H. Wood who is recognized as the “father of floating lines” is credited as the originator of the Blue and the fly pattern appears in Kelson's book "The Salmon Fly". The hair wing fly that is featured here is a more modern variant originally tied in the 1950's by John Reidpath of Inverness, Nova Scotia. The logic is that blue flies appear more attractive in the blue light of the early morning. This fly pattern is a real all-rounder, a real producer and one of the best low-water fly patters there is.
There are several versions of the Blue Charm Hair Wing each with its own set of proportions. The patterns cover different styles from the Atlantic Salmon Classic Hair Wing style to the low water version developed for specific water conditions. The pattern chosen for the Silver Award program is one that leans towards the low water style but is adjusted more to the "Steelhead" tie as shown in Flies for Atlantic Salmon by Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen. Western Steelhead patterns often tend to be somewhere between the Atlantic Salmon and low water styles.
Tying the fly pattern for the Silver Level Submission
Visit the FFI website and navigate to the Fly Tying Group, then to the Silver Award Handbook pages. The website has excellent instructions as to how to tie and submit the required group of fly patterns to an FFI Silver Award Evaluator. The website includes a video presenting each step to tie the Blue Charm. The handbook is easy to understand and follow. Tie three flies with consistency for the Silver Awards submission, then tie more for the fly box.
Fly of the Month 08.23
Blue Charm Hair Wing - Salmon/Steelhead Fly
Hook: Tiemco TMC 7989 or Mustad SL 73UNP-BN (36890)
Size: 4
Thread: UTC 70 Black or UNI-Thread 8/0 Black
Tip: Fine silver oval tinsel
(start at the position on the shank directly above the halfway position between
the hook point and the barb point)
Rib: Small silver oval tinsel slightly larger than that used for the Tip
(5 ribs on the body of the fly beginning and ending at the underside of the body)
Tail: Golden Pheasant crest (extend to about ½ gap behind the bend)
Tag: Yellow silk or rayon floss
Body: Black silk or rayon floss
Hackle: Blue hackle (Kingfisher Blue)
(tied on as a collar and pulled down as a throat. Fibers of the collar should slope back
toward the hook point.)
Wing: Gray Squirrel tail
Note: Tail should begin at the position where the shank starts to drop off or where the bend begins. The intent is to get the tail to hug the bottom of the wing.
Directions:
1) Mount hook in vise jaws, attach thread about one eye length behind hook eye, and lay a flat thread base to the rear ending just in front of the position above the hook point. Prepare the end of the tip tinsel by stripping off some of the metal sheathing leaving the tinsel core exposed.
2) Tie in the tinsel core on top of the shank at a position that will allow you to catch a few turns around the tinsel coating as you reach the position directly above the halfway point between the hook point and the barb point. Make 3 or 4 close turns of the tinsel to form the tip. Tie off underneath the shank with 1 or 2 turns of thread. While holding tension on the thread bobbin, cut the waste of the tinsel leaving about ¼ of an inch of waste. With tweezers, and still holding tension on the bobbin, strip off the metal coating back to the tie-down position. Trim off any metal waste. Bind down the tinsel core waste to the underside of the shank.
3) Wrap the thread forward to a position one eye length to the right of the point above the hook point. Tie in the floss tag material on the bottom of the shank slightly to the off-side of the bottom of the hook. Wrap the yellow floss tag material down the shank in flat touching turns to the tip tie-down position then wrap the floss forward in slightly overlapping flat turns to the tie off position. This should result in a slightly tapered tag. Tie off the floss and trim the waste leaving about a ¼ inch waste. While holding onto the bobbin to provide tension on the tying thread, carefully burnish the floss tag to smooth out any irregularities in the wraps if necessary.
4) Select a Golden Pheasant crest feather for the tail. The tip of the tail should be located approximately ½ gap behind the bend of the hook and should curve upwards to a position about a gap or 1½ gap above the shank. Prepare the tail crest by trimming away the fibers near the bottom of the stem leaving tiny stubs along the feather stem. This will aid in keeping the stem from rotating as you tie it onto the shank. Tie the tail feather onto the shank so it lies in the plane of the hook. Bind the stem down using flat thread wraps. Prepare the ribbing material by stripping off the outer metal sheath to reveal the core.
5) To minimize bumps in the body, tie-down the ribbing core along the bottom or slightly to the off-side of the bottom of the hook shank using flat thread turns. The tying thread should just catch the metal ribbing sheath about two turns before reaching the tail tie-in position. When you eventually wrap the ribbing, it will pull forward to directly under the hook shank when making the first rib wrap. After tying in the rib material, use flat thread wraps as you take the tying thread forward. If there are irregular spots along the hook shank, use your tying thread to form a smooth underbody. A burnishing tool may help. A rotary vise will allow you to check the underbody and locate uneven spots. Attach the black body floss at the body tie in position.
6) Wrap the black floss body material down the shank keeping the fibers as flat as possible and use touching turns. Then wrap the body material forward using slightly overlapping turns to create a very slight taper. Try to create a cigar shape. Tie off the floss. Do not cut the tag ends yet. You may want to burnish the body floss to assure a smooth body surface. Wrap the ribbing material forward creating five evenly spaced ribs. Make two wraps of your tying thread around the rib material to tie it off at the bottom of the hook shank and hold onto the bobbin to keep tension on the thread. Trim the rib waste leaving about ¼ inch tag end. While maintaining tension on the thread, use your tweezers to pull off the metal sheath revealing the tinsel core. Cut any metal sheath material off and make several turns to bind down the core fibers. Trim all waste ends at this time.
7) Prepare the blue hackle by folding it, stripping off excess lower stem fibers, and trimming away hackle fibers along the stem at the tip. Hackle fiber length should allow the hackle fibers to almost touch the hook point when tied into position. Tie in the hackle by the tip with concave side down. Pull the tip back under the shank and make a wrap of tying thread to secure the hackle. Trim the waste. Wrap the hackle on as a throat and tie it off. This will increase the effectiveness of folding the hackle. Trim away the waste hackle. Pull the hackle down as a collar and use a pinching technique to direct the hackle fibers back so they point toward the hook point.
8) Select, clean, and stack the squirrel tail material for the wing. Position the fibers so the tip of the wing goes back to the tip of the tail. Transfer the fibers to the left hand and pre-glue the butts of the hair fibers. Pre-cut the butts of the hair fibers to the appropriate length so no trimming is necessary after the wing is mounted. Position the fibers on top of the hook shank in the wing tie-down position and make a soft loop around the hair material. Make several tighter wraps as you bind the wing down. Form the head. Whip finish the head and coat it with several coats of head cement.
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker
The “fly of the month” series for 2023 will celebrate the Fly Fishers International Fly Tying Group Fly Tying Skills Awards Program. Each month Tom and I will present one of the fly patterns used to evaluate a fly tyer’s skills toward a Bronze Level in the first six months, then one of the fly pattern used to evaluate a fly tyer’s skills toward a Silver Level in the later part of the year. The second fly pattern in the Silver Level series is a Salmon-Steelhead fly pattern. Both Atlantic and Pacific salmon as well as steelhead respond to the Blue Charm Hair Wing.
Blue Charm Hair Wing - Salmon/Steelhead Fly
Blue Charm is a very popular Salmon, as it is highly effective for catching Atlantic salmon. While fly fishing Chance pool on the Margaree River in Nova Scotia, Canada, Ron Gmerek caught one of only a few salmon that week on a low-water Blue Charm. This fly evolved as result of requests for making salmon flies less complicated. Salmon fly fishing anglers were tired of the typical Victorian patterns requiring feathers from 50+ birds, many of which where endangered.
A. H. Wood who is recognized as the “father of floating lines” is credited as the originator of the Blue and the fly pattern appears in Kelson's book "The Salmon Fly". The hair wing fly that is featured here is a more modern variant originally tied in the 1950's by John Reidpath of Inverness, Nova Scotia. The logic is that blue flies appear more attractive in the blue light of the early morning. This fly pattern is a real all-rounder, a real producer and one of the best low-water fly patters there is.
There are several versions of the Blue Charm Hair Wing each with its own set of proportions. The patterns cover different styles from the Atlantic Salmon Classic Hair Wing style to the low water version developed for specific water conditions. The pattern chosen for the Silver Award program is one that leans towards the low water style but is adjusted more to the "Steelhead" tie as shown in Flies for Atlantic Salmon by Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen. Western Steelhead patterns often tend to be somewhere between the Atlantic Salmon and low water styles.
Tying the fly pattern for the Silver Level Submission
Visit the FFI website and navigate to the Fly Tying Group, then to the Silver Award Handbook pages. The website has excellent instructions as to how to tie and submit the required group of fly patterns to an FFI Silver Award Evaluator. The website includes a video presenting each step to tie the Blue Charm. The handbook is easy to understand and follow. Tie three flies with consistency for the Silver Awards submission, then tie more for the fly box.
Fly of the Month 08.23
Blue Charm Hair Wing - Salmon/Steelhead Fly
Hook: Tiemco TMC 7989 or Mustad SL 73UNP-BN (36890)
Size: 4
Thread: UTC 70 Black or UNI-Thread 8/0 Black
Tip: Fine silver oval tinsel
(start at the position on the shank directly above the halfway position between
the hook point and the barb point)
Rib: Small silver oval tinsel slightly larger than that used for the Tip
(5 ribs on the body of the fly beginning and ending at the underside of the body)
Tail: Golden Pheasant crest (extend to about ½ gap behind the bend)
Tag: Yellow silk or rayon floss
Body: Black silk or rayon floss
Hackle: Blue hackle (Kingfisher Blue)
(tied on as a collar and pulled down as a throat. Fibers of the collar should slope back
toward the hook point.)
Wing: Gray Squirrel tail
Note: Tail should begin at the position where the shank starts to drop off or where the bend begins. The intent is to get the tail to hug the bottom of the wing.
Directions:
1) Mount hook in vise jaws, attach thread about one eye length behind hook eye, and lay a flat thread base to the rear ending just in front of the position above the hook point. Prepare the end of the tip tinsel by stripping off some of the metal sheathing leaving the tinsel core exposed.
2) Tie in the tinsel core on top of the shank at a position that will allow you to catch a few turns around the tinsel coating as you reach the position directly above the halfway point between the hook point and the barb point. Make 3 or 4 close turns of the tinsel to form the tip. Tie off underneath the shank with 1 or 2 turns of thread. While holding tension on the thread bobbin, cut the waste of the tinsel leaving about ¼ of an inch of waste. With tweezers, and still holding tension on the bobbin, strip off the metal coating back to the tie-down position. Trim off any metal waste. Bind down the tinsel core waste to the underside of the shank.
3) Wrap the thread forward to a position one eye length to the right of the point above the hook point. Tie in the floss tag material on the bottom of the shank slightly to the off-side of the bottom of the hook. Wrap the yellow floss tag material down the shank in flat touching turns to the tip tie-down position then wrap the floss forward in slightly overlapping flat turns to the tie off position. This should result in a slightly tapered tag. Tie off the floss and trim the waste leaving about a ¼ inch waste. While holding onto the bobbin to provide tension on the tying thread, carefully burnish the floss tag to smooth out any irregularities in the wraps if necessary.
4) Select a Golden Pheasant crest feather for the tail. The tip of the tail should be located approximately ½ gap behind the bend of the hook and should curve upwards to a position about a gap or 1½ gap above the shank. Prepare the tail crest by trimming away the fibers near the bottom of the stem leaving tiny stubs along the feather stem. This will aid in keeping the stem from rotating as you tie it onto the shank. Tie the tail feather onto the shank so it lies in the plane of the hook. Bind the stem down using flat thread wraps. Prepare the ribbing material by stripping off the outer metal sheath to reveal the core.
5) To minimize bumps in the body, tie-down the ribbing core along the bottom or slightly to the off-side of the bottom of the hook shank using flat thread turns. The tying thread should just catch the metal ribbing sheath about two turns before reaching the tail tie-in position. When you eventually wrap the ribbing, it will pull forward to directly under the hook shank when making the first rib wrap. After tying in the rib material, use flat thread wraps as you take the tying thread forward. If there are irregular spots along the hook shank, use your tying thread to form a smooth underbody. A burnishing tool may help. A rotary vise will allow you to check the underbody and locate uneven spots. Attach the black body floss at the body tie in position.
6) Wrap the black floss body material down the shank keeping the fibers as flat as possible and use touching turns. Then wrap the body material forward using slightly overlapping turns to create a very slight taper. Try to create a cigar shape. Tie off the floss. Do not cut the tag ends yet. You may want to burnish the body floss to assure a smooth body surface. Wrap the ribbing material forward creating five evenly spaced ribs. Make two wraps of your tying thread around the rib material to tie it off at the bottom of the hook shank and hold onto the bobbin to keep tension on the thread. Trim the rib waste leaving about ¼ inch tag end. While maintaining tension on the thread, use your tweezers to pull off the metal sheath revealing the tinsel core. Cut any metal sheath material off and make several turns to bind down the core fibers. Trim all waste ends at this time.
7) Prepare the blue hackle by folding it, stripping off excess lower stem fibers, and trimming away hackle fibers along the stem at the tip. Hackle fiber length should allow the hackle fibers to almost touch the hook point when tied into position. Tie in the hackle by the tip with concave side down. Pull the tip back under the shank and make a wrap of tying thread to secure the hackle. Trim the waste. Wrap the hackle on as a throat and tie it off. This will increase the effectiveness of folding the hackle. Trim away the waste hackle. Pull the hackle down as a collar and use a pinching technique to direct the hackle fibers back so they point toward the hook point.
8) Select, clean, and stack the squirrel tail material for the wing. Position the fibers so the tip of the wing goes back to the tip of the tail. Transfer the fibers to the left hand and pre-glue the butts of the hair fibers. Pre-cut the butts of the hair fibers to the appropriate length so no trimming is necessary after the wing is mounted. Position the fibers on top of the hook shank in the wing tie-down position and make a soft loop around the hair material. Make several tighter wraps as you bind the wing down. Form the head. Whip finish the head and coat it with several coats of head cement.
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker