Estuary Damsel Crustacean Saltwater Hook : Mustad 34011, a straightened Mustad 96208 or other long shank hook. Thread : White. Tail : White rabbit off a zonker strip. Rib : Silver tinsel. Body : White rabbit off a zonker strip. Wingcase : White drinking straw (From McDonalds fast food stores). Eyes : Burnt 45lb mono, blacken ends with marker pen. Thorax : White rabbit off a zonker strip. Weight : Lead wire along shook shank - bottom only.
Tying Instructions 1. Holding hook point up and shank horizontal, bend one fifth of hook shank at hook eye upwards. 2. Place hook in vice hook point down. 3. Tie thread at hook eye, lay down a bed of thread leaving thread at bend. 4. Take a length of lead wire fold into three equal lengths tie to top of hook shank (the eventually lowest part of the fly). 5. Tie in length of rabbit fur, ¾ hook shank length past hook bend. 6. Tie in tinsel at hook bend. 7. Dub some white rabbit fur onto thread and form rear body - avoid long guard hairs for this part of body, or dub on very tightly to thread (or trim after winding dubbed thread onto hook shank). 8. Wrap in the opposite direction the tinsel to form the ribbing. 9. Cut into strips a McDonalds drinking straw - we want the white part to form the wingcase. 10. Cut a "V" on the end of your straw strip . 11. Tin plastic strip in with most of it over body tip tied in at thorax. 12. Tie in mono eyes in middle of thorax area. 13. To form thorax this time we want a few long guard hairs hand out, so dub on your white rabbit hair a bit more loosely than the body or just use a cut down tooth brush (see notes at end of page) to tug out a few longer hairs. (forms legs - well that's the idea anyway). 14. Fold over white plastic strip to form wing case and tie off.
Fly Notes
Fishing Notes Floating line (long leader), sink tip or intermediate even. Get fly to bottom and flick along with pauses between strips. Target species include, Bream, trevally, flathead -most estuarine species. Whiting in trout hook sizes (10-12 long shank).
Location Notes Sand flats for the white version. Darker version on mud/weed banks.
Prey Notes An over sized freshwater damsel nymph pattern passing off as a saltwater yabbie or prawn.
Tier Richard Carter

|   AFS Home   |   Swaps   |   Fly Box   |   Search   |