Enlightenment at Cabelas

Lauie and I took a trip to the Cabelas store in Dundee earlier in the week to pick up a few fly fishing items for a gift box idea that she has.  While walking around the store it really hit me how much I also missed hunting for small game. I used to love walking through the brightly colored woods holding my dad's old 20 gauge single shot in my hands waiting for the thundering sound made by the wings of the grouse or timber doodle that flushed at your feet. Another great memory is finding a nice oak that happened to be producing acorns that year then taking stand not far away waiting for the squirrels to come around to store up food for the winter. I could hear the sounds out the scurrying squirrels and smell the distinct smell of fall in the woods. While thinking of these things while walking around the store I made a promise to myself that I would break out my dad's old 20 gauge and get back into small game hunting, especially for upland game birds. Laurie's mom owns some farm land up in the Thumb area.  Hopefully the farmers that are farming her land will allow me to do some pheasant hunting.

While hunting for small game is a great way to bring a little extra to the dinner table, you also get the added benefit of being able to procure a few extra tying materials. I know I go through a lot of grouse hackle and squirrel tails so they will come in handy. If I have any luck I will show how to cure a squirrel tail or grouse skin in the future.

With all this in mind I purchased a small game hunting license for the first time in over ten years. I guess since the blog is mainly about fly tying I should tie a fly using squirrel tail.

While I have never fished this pattern I have always liked the way the Gladiator looked in the book Flies For Steelhead.  I really like the look of the peacock herl rib on the green floss body. I guess I should give it a shot some time.

 

Gladiator

Gladiator

Hook - Tiemco 7999
Thread - Uni 8/0 Black
Tail - Scarlet Hackle Barbs
Body - Green Floss
Rib - Peacock Herl
Collar - Grizzly Hackle
Wing - Gray Squirrel Tail

 

Step One

 

Start Thread At Eye Return

 

Step Two

 

Tie in Tail at Hook Bend

 

Step Three

 

Tie in Peacock Herl Rib

 

Step Four

 

Return Thread to Eye Return and Tie in Floss

 

Step Five

 

Wrap Floss Back to Hook Bend Then Back Forward to Eye Return

 

Step Six

 

Wrap Rib Forward in Even Turns

 

Step Seven

 

Tie in Hackle for Collar

 

Step Eight

 

Make Two or Three Wraps of Hackle

 

Step Nine

 

Tie in Squirrel Tail Wing, Create Head and Whip Finish