In this week’s How to Tie video feature, Tim Flagler, from Tightline Video is here to show us how to tie the Pine Squirrel Trout Spey Streamer.
Learn About This Fly
Difficulty: Intermediate
When it comes to flashy streamers, there are few patterns that are more effective than the pine squirrel trout spey streamer. Tied with a shank, some squirrel zonker strip, and a healthy wad of dubbing, this is the perfect fly to swing across rivers at the end of a two-handed spey rod.
What sets this fly apart from other squirrel based patterns such as the mini leech, is this pattern’s shank to hanging hook body. By attaching the hook on a thread that hangs below the main part of the body, not only does this fly gain a life-like movement such as that of an articulated streamer, but also becomes harder for an ornery trout to shake out the hook once it decides to go airborne.
As Tim explains in the video, this fly has a lot of steps, and may seem intimidating to less experienced tiers. However, if tied with care and concentration, is a relatively easy fly. This pattern is a great way for novice fly tiers to learn more about tying with shanks and articulated factors.
Ingredients:
- Hook shank: Waddington shank (here, a Partridge V1SS), size 25mm
- Thread: Black, 6/0 or 140-denier.
- Hook: Intruder-style hook (here, a Partridge Z4), size 4.
- Connection: Maxima Braid Ultragreen, 80-pound.
- Adhesive #1: UV-cure resin or superglue.
- Braid coloring: Black Sharpie.
- Butt: Ginger Angora goat dubbing.
- Tail/rear body: Rust barred pine-squirrel zonker strip.
- Eyes: Gold bead-chain eyes, medium.
- Mid Body: Rootbeer Palmer Chenille, medium.
- Legs: Brown barred Sili Legs.
- Front Body: Black cross-cut rabbit zonker hairs.
Now you know how to tie the Pine Squirrel Trout Spey Streamer!
Video courtesy of Tightline Video, Ingredients courtesy of Orvis
