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  • Rocky River TU
    • RRTU Events >
      • Monthly Meetings
      • Streamside Day Trips
      • Alarka Trips
      • Fly Tying Classes >
        • Instructional Tyers
    • Davidson River HEP
    • Conservation >
      • Conservation Partners >
        • NC Camo Coalition
    • Diversity >
      • WOMEN ON THE FLY
      • BSA Merit Badge
    • We welcome your feedback!
    • Become a TU Member
    • Mission and Brief History
  • FORR
  • Programs
    • Trout In The Classroom
    • RiverCourse Fly Fishing Youth Camp
    • Casting Carolinas
    • Wilson Creek Adopt-A-Stream and Stream Watch
    • South Mountain Adopt-A-Park
    • Stone Mountain State Park
  • Resources
    • Fly of the Month Patterns >
      • DRY FLY PATTERNS >
        • Adams Variant
        • Asher
        • Atherton No 5
        • Baigent's Variant
        • Blue Quill
        • BWO
        • BWO Catskill
        • BWO CDC Emerger
        • BWO Sparkle Dun
        • BWO Spinner
        • Carolina Wulff
        • CDC Biot Comparadun
        • CDL Comparadun
        • Coachman Variant
        • Conner's October Caddis
        • Crackleback
        • Dragonfly Dry
        • Dry Pheasant Tail Variant
        • Dun Fly, August Fly,Wasp Fly
        • Early Nelson
        • Egg Laying Caddis
        • Troth Elk Hair Caddis FFI
        • Elk Hair Caddis
        • EZ Caddis
        • Female Adams
        • Fluttering Caddis
        • Ginger Quill
        • Gray Fox Variant
        • Grey Hackle Yellow Dry
        • Griffith's Gnat
        • Hazel Creek
        • Hendrickson
        • H & L Variant
        • Hopper Juan
        • Infallible
        • Japanese Beetle
        • Jassid
        • Jim Charley
        • Klinkhamer
        • Lacewing
        • Light Cahill Catskill
        • Little Green and Little Yellow Stonefly
        • Mr. Rapidan
        • North Carolina Yellow Sally
        • FFI Parachute Adams
        • Parachute Adams
        • Pheasant Tail Dry Fly.Skues
        • Puff Diddy
        • October Caddis
        • Orange Forked Tail
        • Rattler
        • Red Headed Caddis
        • Smoky Mountian Candy
        • Sunkist
        • Trude
        • Rusty Spinner
        • Sulphurs Part 1
        • Sulphur Part 2
        • Yellow Palmer
      • Dry Attractor
      • Midges >
        • Grey Goose Midge Emerger
        • Morgan's Midge
      • Nymphs >
        • Brassie
        • Chironimid
        • Copper John
        • Crossover Nymph
        • Crow Fly
        • Damsel Fly Nymph
        • Deep Sparkle Caddis Pupa
        • Devil's Doorstop
        • Girdle Bug
        • Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear
        • Guinea
        • Hare's Ear Nymph FFI
        • Hot Creek Special
        • Mr. Rapidan
        • Peridgon Nymph
        • BH Prince Nymph FFI
        • BH Prince Nymph
        • Realistic Stonefly
        • Royal Prince
        • Secret Weapon
        • Scud
        • Egan's Tasmanian Devil
        • Tups Indespensible
        • Waterboatman
      • Pupae/Larva
      • Scud >
        • UV Scud
      • Soft Hackles >
        • Center Bead Soft Hackle
        • Grey Hackle Soft hackle
        • Orange Partridge Soft Hackle
      • Terrestrials >
        • Amy's Ant
        • Alen's Cow Killer
        • Cricket
        • Inchworm
        • Jack Cabe Hopper
        • Little River Ant
        • Moth
        • Murray's Flying Beetle
        • Parachute Ant
        • Texas Piss Ant
      • Wet Fly Patterns >
        • Black Gnat
        • Blue Charm FFI
        • Breadcrust
        • Coachman
        • Cock-y-Bundhu
        • Cooper Bug
        • Grizzly King
        • Ibis
        • Parmacheene Belle
        • Orange and Partridge Soft Hackle FFIFFI
        • Red Ass Soft Hackle
        • Tups Indespensible
    • Fly Patterns
    • RRTU Class Recipes
    • NC General Hatch Charts
    • Fly Shops, Outfitters and Guides
    • Fly Fishing >
      • RRTU Reference Fly Tying >
        • Entomology Basics
        • More Entomology Basics
      • More Fly Fishing Basics
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    • History, Reading, References >
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        • Archive History >
          • Archive History
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            • FORR 2020
    • Calendar Copy
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  • Tips - Tying
Smoky Mountain Blackbird 
Crow Fly

L. J. DeCuir provides the recipe for the Smoky Mountain Blackbird in his book – Southeastern Flies (2001). He notes that the Blackbird fly is tied with a peacock herl body and with a split feather of a blackbird in a similar manner to tying the Yellarhammer. Coincidentally, Roger Lowe provides a similar recipe for the Crow Fly in his book – Fly Pattern Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains (2001). He notes that the Crow Fly is tied like the original Yellarhammer except with a split wing crow feather. With only minor differences, both recipes call for a peacock herl body and a split “blackbird” feather. The most available commercial substitute for protected blackbirds or gamebird crows is the starling feath
 
DeCuir notes that these fly patterns are “usually fished in the mountains of the Southeast like most heavily weighted nymphs.” At least by the late-1700s, long before dry fly patterns were utilized in the Southern Appalachians, the native American Cherokee likely tied this fly pattern along with the Yellarhammer (using the yellow Norther Flicker bird feather) and the Deer Hair (a wrapped sliver of deer hide with the body hairs attached). These fly patterns were observed and documented in the late-1700s by Lawson. The local Indians greased the fly to float as well as fishing it wet. It is likely that other bird feather of other colors was also utilized. One can only speculate as to what names were given to these fly patterns that originated many centuries ago.

Fly of the Month 03.20

Tom Adams and Alen Baker
References:
Lowe, Roger. Roger Lowe’s Fly Pattern Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains, 2005.


Crow Fly
Hook : Mustad 3906 12,14,16

Thread : Black 8/0 Uni

Body : Peacock Herl

Hackle : Primary or Tail Crow or Starling feather

Tail : Crow/Starling barbules
    
Directions :


  1. Mount the hook in the vise after crushing the hook barb.

  2. Begin thread wraps three eyelengths from eye and take tight and touching turns to the point above the hook barb. Select six to eight barbules from primary or tail crow feather and strip from the stem.  Tie in at the hook bend and maintain the barbs on top of the hook shank take the thread forward to the thorax. Wrap the thread back to the hook bend making an even abdomen and let the bobbin hang

  3. Select a primary Crow or Starling feather.  When choosing the feather keep in mind the length of the barbs relative to the hook size.  Only one side of the stem will be used. After removing the feather from the skin, pull the unwanted barbs from the stem.  Using a new razor blade (carefully) begin cutting the stem in half, starting at the base of the feather, once the blade begins cutting, take your time and continue as far up as possible.  As the stem gets thinner it does become more difficult, but, this is not as hard as it is intimidating. Keep in mind, four or five turns of feather is all that will be needed.  
  4. Tie the Crow/Starling in, by the tip, at the hook bend take the thread to two or three eyelenghts from the eye and let the bobbin hang.
  5. Select two Peacock herls and tie in by the tips ( after trimming the first very delicate section away) and begin tight touching turns to where the bobbin is hanging.  Tie off and trim away any waste. Let the bobbin hang
  6. Advance the Crow/Starling toward the eye in open turns, being careful to not trap barbs as you go.  Four or five turns is sufficient. Tie in and trim the waste and form a thread head. Whip finish to complete the fly.


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