Project-X
I’m not as haunted by flies as I am by waters, but that’s not to say that I don’t spend a considerable amount of time per day thinking about fly tying. Time to take a break from writing my dissertation? Tie some flies. Not enough time to start something before you have to go to class? Tie some flies. Nothing on tv? Tie some…well…you get the point.
The Project-X is a fly that I have had the tail portion of tied in my head for months. Honestly, it started as a simple, one-hook crawfish pattern (and that pattern still exists in my box, but I don’t like it enough to share yet. Wait for the spring.), but it developed into a leech pattern that I really like. It jigs in the water thanks to the weighted eyes, and the marabou and arctic fox brush really breath in between strips. The head is different from my normal big, beefy water-moving style. It’s small and really compresses down in the water. It’s different and I like it.
I haven’t played with too many color options of Project-X yet, mostly because the Foxy Brushes are kind of hard to source right now for some reason. Once I can get my hands on some more colors, then I want to tie the normal run of colors (Black, White, Tan, blah blah blah). Let me know what you think!
Project-X Recipe:
Thread: UTC 140 or 210, Olive
Back Hook
Hook: Gamakatsu SL11-3H, Size 1
Tail: Steve Farrar Flash Blen, Wild Olive
Tail Feather: Grizzly Schlappen, Olive/Black
Tail Flash (Optional): Holographic Flashabou, Olive
Over Tail: Marabou tied wet fly style, Olive and Black
Body: Ice Dub, Olive
Collar: EP Foxy Brush, Olive-Brown
Connection: 19 Strand .018″ Beadalon, Black; Two 6mm Beads
Front Hook
Hook: Gamakatsu B10s, Size 1
Tail: Marabou tied wet fly style, Olive and Black
Legs: Fly Enhancer Legs, Olive/Light Olive
Body: Ice Dub, Olive
Collar: EP Foxy Brush, Olive-Brown
Over-Collar: Senyo Laser Dub, Sculpin Olive
Eyes: Painted Lead Eyes, Red, size Large
Head: Ice Dub, Olive
Head Veil: Senyo Laser Dub, Sculpin Olive
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- Step 1: Double over a sparse amount of the SF Blend and tie it in so that it is about two lengths of the hook.
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- Step 2: Take two Schlappen feathers that are of equal size and tie one in on each side of the SF Blend.
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- Step 3: Tie in a Black and an Olive marabou feather by the tips. Palmer the feathers forward about a quarter of an inch, then tie off and wrap over the feathers backwards to create a mottled tail. Richard Strolis does this on some of his videos if you need a good example.
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- Step 4: Dub a body up to one eye length behind the eye of the hook.
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- Step 5: Tie in the EP Foxy Brush and palmer the brush once around the shank of the hook. You can wrap more ties if you want, but there isn’t much need. Comb the fibers out and tie off the thread.
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- Step 6: Tie in your dumbbell eyes about one to two eye lengths back from the eye of the hook. Tie them in on top of the hook so that the fly will ride hook point up in the water.
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- Step 7: Attach the tail of the fly using beadalon and two 6mm beads. I double the beadalon back and cover it all with either Brushable Krazy Glue or Clear Cure Goo Hydro.
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- Step 8: Repeat Step 3 and make a tail to cover up the connection point.
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- Step 9: Take two legs per side and tie them in so that they are doubled back.
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- Step 10: Dub a body up to just behind the eyes.
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- Step 11: Tie in the EP Foxy Brush again. This time palmer the material twice around the hook. The key is to make sure that you are not wrapping any of the fibers down as you work forward. Comb the fibers out and back when you have tied off and clipped the wire.
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- Step 12: Take a small clump of Laser Dub and dap until the fibers are all going the same direction. Tie in at the mid point and then fold back and tie down. Do this for all around the hook. You have might have to do it four times if you are using a sparse enough clump. You want color, not size.
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- Step 13: Dub a small head just behind, around, and in front of the eyes.
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- Step 14: Take a small clump of Laser Dub and dap it the same way you did in Step 12. This time, only tie in clump on top and on bottom. Fold them back and tie the clumps down. Whip finish and cement the head. You’re done!
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- A Finished Project-X!
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- A Wet Project-X!
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