Feeling a Little Rusty

As you can tell from my last posted date, I have been away from the vise and the blog for a little bit. Now that the summertime weather is almost gone, it's time to get back to the vise and tie up a few flies for the fall season!

Fall in Michigan is my favorite time of year. Each fall I look forward to drinking fresh apple cider, eating cider doughnuts, and cooking fresh acorn squash and Brussels sprouts. In my opinion, the weather is perfect and the fall leaf color tours are amazing. Fall also means the Steelhead and Salmon are starting their annual runs. This is a great time for fishing. I'm ready for a trip north to see if I can tangle into a few Cohos while they are still fresh in the rivers. One of my favorite Salmon flies is the Rusty Rat. Not only does this fly produce fish, the colors of the fly remind me of fall. Time to tie up a few and head up to the Pere Marquette!

Rusty Rat

Rusty Rat

Hook - Tiemco 7999
Thread - Uni 8/0 Black
Tag - Gold Oval Tinsel
Tail - Peacock Sword
Rib - Gold Oval Tinsel
Body - Rear Half Orange Floss Front Half Peacock Herl
Under Wing - Orange Floss
Wing - Grey Squirrel Tail
Throat - Grizzly Hen

Step One

Start Thread

Step Two



Tie in Oval Tinsel

Step Three



Wrap Tinsel Forward Three or Four Turns. Tie Off But do Not Trim

Step Four

Tie in Four Peacock Sword Fibers Short

Step Five

Tie in Floss at Midway Point

Step Six

Wrap Floss Back to Tail Then Forward to Midway Point

Step Seven

Wrap Remaining Tinsel from Tag to the Midway Point

Step Eight

Tie In Four Strands of Peacock Herl

Step Nine

Wrap Peacock Herl Forward

Step Ten

Tie in Floss Under Wing

Step Eleven

Tie in Grey Squirrel Wing

Step Twelve

Tie in Grizzly Hen Hackle

Step Thirteen

Make Two Turns of Hackle, Tie Off, Create Head and Whip Finish