Screenshot – Tim Flagler’s #16 Sulphur Comparadun – he recommends #14 to #22.
By Skip Clement – Video by Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions
[dropcap]B[/dropcap]ecoming a trout fisher turned fly tyer has its joys and learning is addicting in a fun and healthy way. Remembering how to tie wee flies not for a saltwater destiny, but in pinprick size hooks like #16 Sulphur Comparaduns headed for freshwater and have Microfibbets, short/fine bleached deer-hair, and pale yellow superfine dubbing in the recipe can be off-putting.
It’s a pain in the arse getting these not so oft called for materials and realizing I’ll probably not need them right away on other flies – or ever.
Here are Tim Flagler’s hook specs:
• Lightning Strike
• #16 dry fly
• Down eye
• 1x long
• Fine
• Straight Shank
• Wide Gape
• Perfect Bend (shape)
NOTE: Tim will give you the complete recipe in the video – keep pen and paper in hand.
So, I had to buy 100 of Lightning Strike hooks online. That meant that at least 85 of them probably would not see duty for years, if ever
That said, Flagler promised that if there were sulfurs around, this fly would get eaten. And Tim is as always, honest. Throughout the video Tim says, “It takes practice to tie the fly correctly.” What he means is not so much tying as in technique but getting the materials in their right proportions, so they are segmented with realistic symmetry – abdomen and thorax, for example.
And yea, this fly is like a new golf course, it takes a few rounds to get it figured out, but the thing is . . .
