Easy Tie Damsel

Tutorial

Our PRO-Team expert Allan Liddle shares a simple tutorial on how to tie an Easy Tie Damsel.

Everyone’s got a damsel pattern in their armoury, or to be more exact probably several of them so it might not seem the most attractive of tutorials to offer another one.

However this one is a very simple tie but has all the trigger points of more complex ones as well as versatile enough to be used on a host of different scenarios from stocked fisheries, to wild lochs and running water.  In fact it’s actually not too shabby a saltwater pattern either.

I like this one as I feel the addition of a tungsten head over the more general brass bead helps add a little more to the action of the fly when in the retrieve, as well as the obvious increase in sink rate helping you get down to the fish quicker.  That said sink rate increase might be minimal, however you might want to note that tungsten will continue to drop between ‘pulls’ so be careful you don’t end up too deep.

My favoured style is to use this fly on a floating line which helps control the depth somewhat and I love fishing it alongside weed beds or on drop offs.  In a big wind it can make an excellent ‘tail’ (point) fly and help ‘anchor’ the ‘team’ helping you work a ‘dibbled bob’ through the waves better.

Keep calm

& Tie flys

Sprite S2175 Barbless Competition Wet size 8 - 12

Step by step

Step one fly tie sea trout

Step 1. Place bead on hook, secure hook in vice, catch in UV butt, wind on and secure, seal with UV varnish

Step 2. Catch in thread  above UV

Step 3 Catch in light olive marabou tail above UV

Step 4 Trim off waste marabou and secure with thread

Step one fly tie sea trout

Step 5 Tie in four strands of thread over tail for added sparkle. (Note prepare these before tying in thread for body)

Step 6 Form body with thread

Step 7 Secure body with UV

Step 8 Prepare thread for tying in spun dubbing thorax

Step one fly tie sea trout

Step 9 Insert desired amount of Olive Glister into dubbing ‘loop’

Step 10 Spin tight then wind on dubbing loop thorax.

Step 11 Secure loop with thread and trim off waste.  Whip finish but don’t cut thread yet

Step 12 Take varnish and place on thread before second whip finish ensuring fully secured and head protected.

The finished Easy Tie Damsel

Dressing

Hook; Sprite S2175 Barbless Competition Wet size 8 – 12

Bead; 3.3mm Gold Tungsten Bead (adjust bead size to suit fly size or desired sink rate, another variation is to vary bead colour)

Butt; Semperfli Cheeky UV Chartreuse

Thread; Semperfli Golden Olive Micro Glint thread

Tail; Light Olive Marabou with four strands of Golden Olive Micro Glint over top

Body; Tying thread under UV varnish

Thorax; Dubbing loop of Olive Glister (Veniard)

Instructional photos supplied Allan Liddle

What are you waiting for?