Grayling Steel Blue

Materials

• Hook: #16 Dry fly or similar hook made from fine wire
• Thread: Orange
• Tag: Glo-brite #5 and narrow flat tinsel
• Rib: Fine gold wire
• Body: Thinly wound peacock herl
• Hackle: Palmered blue dun

Tying Notes

1. Catch in tying thread and run it down the shank of the hook with touching turns.
2. Take the thread back up the hook shank with open turns and tie in about 2 ins of the flat silver tinsel, taking the thread back down to the bend of the hook. Make a tag and secure the free end of the tinsel to the shank by running the thread back up the shank, using loose turns.
3. Tie in the glo-brite floss and again run the thread down the shank, make a second tag with the floss and tie it in back up the hook shank.
4. Tie in the gold wire in front of the tags to make a rib.
5. Make a body by tying in the peacock herl in front of the tag, running the thread up the hook shank and then winding in the herl in touching turns up to 1-2mm back from the eye of the hook.
6. Tie in the hackle feather and palmer it down the hook shank. Secure the hackle by winding in the rib back up the hook.
7. Secure the rib and whip finish.

Background information

Originally a Debyshire pattern created by Roger Wooley. A very effective grayling fly fished wet or dry.