Cascade

Materials

• Hook: Partridge Salar double black salmon size #7 or similar
• Thread: 8/0 black uni-thread or equivalent
• Tail: Mixed orange and yellow bucktail with four strands of pearl crystal hair
• Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel
• Tag (optional): Glo-brite #13
• Body: Back medium silver mylar; front black floss
• Wing: Black squirrel hair with four strands of pearl crystal hair
• Underwing: Black squirrel hair
• Hackles: Four turns each of long yellow and orange cock hackles
• Head: Varnished black thread

Tying Notes

1. Set up hook in the vice.
2. Tie in the thread with a jam knot and run touching turns down the hook shank.
3. Tie in an optional tag (Glo-brite #13).
4. Tie in oval silver.
5. Cut and mix bucktail – measure tail length by offering it up to the hook and then tie it in, explaining how to keep the body shape level and to avoid the bucktail from splaying as it is secured – tie in crystal hair.
6. Tie in silver mylar near to centre of the hook shank by cutting a taper in one end – wrap silver mylar down to bend of hook and back to starting point.
7. Tie in black floss by using it to lift tying thread and dropping it onto the hook shank just back from the hook eye – wrap floss down to silver mylar and then back to starting point.
8. Wind in silver oval tinsel ribbing with an angle of 45 degrees and tie off near to hook eye.
9. Cut off squirrel tail and offer up to fly to judge wing length – tie in and show locking turns
10. double hackles and tie them in by the tips – winding on and then tying off – create head and varnish

Background information
This fly was created by Alistair Gowans and is a variant of the All’s shrimp. It has a classic colour combination found in a number of the most effective of all salmon flies, but the key to its success is probably its mobility in the water. This is achieved by using a long-fibred collar hackle and a long, slim bunch of yellow and orange bucktail for the tail. The addition of a few strands of crystal flash gives the fly an attractive sparkle.