Flatback Shad

Tying Instructions:

1) Secure the thread to the shank just behind the eye and wind back to the bend to lay down a foundation.
2) Mix a dubbing blend of ⅔ green Angora goat dubbing and ⅓ Holographic Chartreuse Ice Dub. This is best done by hand, mixing just enough for one fly at a time. Until you get a feel for just how much is needed, it's easy to just take two or three pinches of each, mix them, and tie them in. For this color scheme, we'll be darkening the dubbing as we get closer to the head by adding other colors of dubbings. Keep this in mind for your own color variations. When you find a color scheme you like, you can pre-blend larger amounts of each shade. Tightly dub the rear half of the shank, then bring the thread forward just a bit (note thread position in photo).
3) Select a chartreuse saddle hackle of appropriate length... the wing will be two times the hook length. Lower grade saddles are best, with the "strung" variety usually having plenty in the ideal shape and size. Narrower feathers can be used for accent (like the olive grizzly I'll tie in later), but try to have at least two of the four feathers about as wide as the hook gap near their middle. From the tip of the feather, measure two hook lengths and stroke the rest of the barbs back to make them stand out. Clip the feather a little ahead of this and trim the barbs on either side.
4) The shape of the hackle stem will not easily allow us to tie the feather in flat. To remedy this, hold the feather as shown in the photo in step 3, and flatten the stem with pliers partially into the barbs as shown at right. Flatten the rest of the clipped portion.
5) Tie the feather in on top of the hook, perpendicular to the bend, with two loose turns of thread right at the bottom of the "V" formed by the last unclipped barbs. Position as necessary, making sure it is on top and perpendicular (flat). Pinch the stem to hold it in place and pull down on the thread bobbin to secure.
6) With your right thumb, push straight down on the feather forcing the barbs to angle downward on either side. Hold it there while you pinch the barbs to the sides with your left hand. Hold the barbs there and wind the thread tightly all the way back to the dubbing. Be mindful of the feather's position and compensate if it tends to move from thread tension.
7) To your dubbing blend add a couple pinches of Holographic Olive Ice Dub. You'll notice this makes it a little darker. Clear off the area directly under your vice if possible... we're going to lose few fibers and they can be thrown back into the unused dubbing. Gather a pinch of the blend and separate the fibers so the bunch is very loose. On your bench or table top, gently pinch and pull the bunch to form a somewhat long, narrow shape of the loose dubbing. This "shape" should hold itself together as you carefully pick it up to apply to the thread. Apply the dubbing very loosely, with just enough twist that it doesn't fall off.
8) Slide the dubbing right up to the hook shank and take three tight turns of thread. Hold the thread taught and very gently stroke back the fibers surrounding the shank... don't pull the remainder of the dubbing off the thread. If it comes off the thread, pull it back on and give it a couple of pinch/twists. Take two or three more tight turns of thread right in front of the previous wraps to apply the rest of the dubbing.
9) Pull down on the bobbin to keep the thread very tight, then brush back the fibers. Hold them back and take two more tight turns of thread in front of the dubbing to lock them in. Bring the thread forward a bit to prepare for tying in the next feather.
10) Add an olive grizzly saddle hackle just as you did the chartreuse one in steps 3-6. Apply the dubbing in front of that as in steps 7-9. Repeat this for another chartreuse saddle, this time applying just a little more dubbing to make it fuller. Then add a black saddle hackle. Your fly should now look something like this. Aggressively brush back the dubbing with fingers and/or a brush to pull out any loose ones and to make the body fuller. If the thread wraps were tight enough, you should only be able to pull out those fibers that were "outside" the thread during the tie-in. If any slide out from under the thread, the wraps weren't tight enough and should be redone.
11) Take a couple pinches from your dubbing blend and add to them a few pinches each of black Angora goat dubbing and Peacock Black Ice Dub. Mix this and take a small bundle from it. Pinch this in the middle and pull out any loose fibers. Use a bodkin needle to pull free any fibers that are folded. Lash this small bundle in the middle to the top of the shank, directly in front of the dubbing. You should have fibers pointing to the rear as well as forward, all free (no loops).
12) Brush back the forward-facing fibers with your finger, then pull them back and hold as you take a couple tight turns of thread over to tie them back.
13) Apply the lighter dubbing blend as you did for the body, a bit fuller. Use your bodkin or a brush to pick out as many fibers as possible, particularly on top and bottom. Stroke the fibers back so they are distributed with more on top, less on bottom, less than that on either side.
14) Repeat steps 11-13. For the final section or two, use only the darker dubbing blend. Take a couple tight turns of thread in front of the last dubbing application, stroking the fibers back out of the way. You should be right up to the hook eye. Hold the thread taught as you pick out fibers and brush the dubbing out. Keep in mind that this will be the front of the head area, so you'll want a little less bulk than at the back of the head so a nice taper is formed. Again, more fibers on top and bottom. When all looks right, stroke the fibers back out of the way again and whip finish the thread.
15) The eyes help hold the shape of the head, so we need to prep the head area so the proper shape is achieved. Primp the fibers on top and bottom to stand up a little, and stroke a few fibers on each side upward. It should look something like this. Now we're ready to glue on the eyes. For size 2 flies use 1/4" ; for size 4 use 1/8" eyes.
16) Use Zap-A-Gap or other strong water-proof glue to attach eyes on either side. Take care to center them on the hook shank, and squeeze them together to shape the head and so the glue penetrates deeper into the dubbing. When the glue has set, stroke the fibers back to shape the head. The head and body dubbing will further blend and lay back when the fly is fished. If you want to see how this will look, when the glue has cured, run the fly under the tap, press out the excess water, and in a safe place lay it on a paper towel to dry.