Predator Single Light S1086

Lasse Boe

Lasse Boe

Lasse Boe

Sprite Pro Team

My name is Lasse Bøe, 33 years old from Karmøy in the west coast of Norway. I make my living in health care, dealing with drug addicts and psychiatric patients. I am a writer for the Norwegian website www.fiskeavisen.no, as well as a consultant for the Norwegian bait making company Attraqua.

Images supplied by Lasse Boe

Magua

Although I am a pure-bred dry fly fisherman I find streamer fishing quite pleasing. It is my favored method of searching for non-rising fish, and to be honest; just as thrilling as watching a dry fly disappear into a fish mouth.

In this article I am introducing one of the most used streamers we use: Predator Single Light S106. When I say “we”, I mean my dad and me. We fish as a team and have endless trips together. When I go dry, dad goes wet. We name our flies after movie characters.

Magua from the movie The Last of The Mohicans is one of them, and he has earned his legacy by naming our most used streamers. The fly “Magua” is as just as his originator – rough, hard wearing and My dad (Egil Bøe) proudly shows his personal best Trout, weighing 5lb 2oz (2327gr) and measuring 57cm it is a fierce predator, and attacked Magua with great force, giving my dad a fight we both hope to experience frequently in the following years.

When tying Magua as my dad likes it, I keep a shorter tail than I like on my own Maguas, and rather up the hook size. Most of my streamers I tie on classic Aberdeen styled hooks, like the Aberdeen Perfect in size 2 or 1 from the Cox & Rawle range.

I can’t see any reason tying them in other colors than black or brown, imitating most smaller bait fish or as an attractor streamer for fishing near surface.

 

 

Rite Bobbin Half Hitch

Tying the Magua streamer, step by step

scud S2499

I start by attaching my tying thread.

Rite Bobbin Half Hitch

An eye lengths distance down the shank, I tie in a chain bead. I place it on the underside of the shank, and wind my thread down the shank to the middle point between the point and the barb.

Rite Bobbin Half Hitch

At the end of the straight shank, I tie in a rabbit zonker strip. Some moisture on the hair makes it easier to part the hair and getting easier access to the bare hide. Measuring lengths is something I save for the finishing touches.

scud S2499

Bend the zonker strip back towards the bend to work freely on the bare shank. Any dubbing will do as an underbody, but even though I am not using it here, I find a shimmering or sparkly dubbing a tad more effective.

Rite Bobbin Half Hitch

I like a kind of a slow tapered carrot shape on the underbody, thinnest at the back.

Rite Bobbin Half Hitch

I am stopping at the point where the bead chains are located.

scud S2499
Take a small clump of red-ish sparkling dubbing and card them to lengthen the fibers, and tie in on. Bend the fibers down.
Rite Bobbin Half Hitch
Fold the zonker strip forward and tie it off with a few hard wraps. I make sure of cutting the rabbit hide close – this will ease the following steps.
Rite Bobbin Half Hitch

I select a shoulder feather from a capercaillie.

scud S2499
Take hold of the very tip of the feather and stroke the fibers down, and tie it in. Wind it over the shank.
Rite Bobbin Half Hitch
Now it is time to start spinning some deer hair for the head. For the two first bundles, the hair is stacked.
Rite Bobbin Half Hitch
I place the bundle on the side and let thread torch cover half of the shank and repeat the process on the other side.
scud S2499
For the rest of the deer hair work there is no need for stacking, as the tips are not required. The rest of the deer hair are placed on top and bottom of the bead chain and tightened down with the tying thread.
Rite Bobbin Half Hitch
The last bundle of deer hair is placed in front of the bead chains and spun around the hook shank. Finish off with whip finish.
Rite Bobbin Half Hitch
It looks messy, and it is at this stage.
scud S2499
I roughly cut the hairs into shape with scissors.
Rite Bobbin Half Hitch
The rest of the trimming of the deer hair is made with a razor blade.
Rite Bobbin Half Hitch
The last step is to trim the zonker strip to length, and as my dad wanted it, I kept it fairly short.

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