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Near Nuff Sculpin – simple and realisitic
Near Nuff Sculpin, Olive
Tying Instructions
1. Attach the hook to the vise and secure the thread at the 1/4 position on the shank.
2. Wrap the thread to the bend of the hook and back to the 1/4 position for a foundation. Place the lead eyes on top of the shank at the 1/4 position. Secure with 4-5 thread cross wraps across the axis of the eyes on each side.
3. Place 4-5 wraps beneath the eyes and above the top of the hook shank. This will pull the cross wraps together.
4. Repeat step 3 and finish with some wraps directly in front of the eyes.
5.Wrap the thread back to the bend of the hook and apply a drop of Zap a Gap to the threads securing the lead eyes.
6. Select a couple of Hen Saddle feathers. They should have a rounded tip with barbules throughout the hackle. The Hareline Grizzly dyed Hen Saddles from Keough Farms are ideal.
7. The tail feathers should be slightly longer than the entire hook. Pull back the hackle fibers to expose the proper tie-in position.
8. Do the same for the second hackle feather and bring these two feather together with the shiny side facing outwards.
9. Place the bare quill stems on top of the hook shank at the bend of the hook with the feathers vertical to the shank. Secure with tight thread wraps.
10. Secure 4-5 strands of Krystal Flash around the thread and secure to the midpoint of the shank. Bring half of the strands to each side of the shank and secure to the base of the tail.
11. Bring the thread to the midpoint of the shank.
12. Attach the gold wire rib to the top of the shank and secure to the base of the tail.
13. Twist the Bruiser Blend dubbing around the thread. Catch the first fibers of the dubbing to anchor the twist into a semi-loose rope.
14.Wrap a tapered body up to the eyes. You may need to apply more dubbing to the thread to achieve a full body.
15. Secure the dubbing with some thread wraps behind the eye.
16. Some Near Nuff patterns will have a black collar behind the eyes. This is optional but a nice touch. Add some additional black dubbing and fill the space between the body and the eye axis.
17. Secure with thread wraps.
18. Select another hen saddle hackle.
19. Trim the lower portion of the stem, leaving about 1/2 inch of marabou at the base of the feather. Clean off the fibers for a bare quill and attach this quill to the side of the hook shank facing you with some tight wraps.
20. Using a rotary hackle plier, I grab the tip and apply one full turn of the hackle behind the eye.
21. Then palmer the remaining hackle around the body to the base of the tail. Secure the tag end of the hackle with the gold wire rib and wrap the wire rib forward to counter wrap the hackle up to the lead eyes.
22. Secure the wire rib behind the eyes with thread wraps and trim off the tag end of the wire.
23. The bobbin should be behind the eyes hanging below the shank. Create a dubbing loop, I rest the bobbin in a cradle in front of the vise to keep it out of the way.
24.Apply some Arizona Simi Seal into the dubbing loop.
25. Use a dubbing spinning tool to trap the fibers within the dubbing loop.. I will use a Velcro tool to pull out some of the fibers for a spikey effect.
26. Wrap the dubbing behind the lead eyes and across sides of the lead eyes. Finish with some wraps directly in front of the eyes.
27. Whip Finish and trim off the thread.
28. Use your a velcro tool to pull out some of the fibers and sweep them back toward the tail.
29. The finished Whitlock Near Nuff Sculpin.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 5263 #4-8 or TMC 708 #6-10 |
| Thread | Veevus 6/0, Olive |
| Flash | Krystalflash, Olive |
| Eyes | Medium Black Lead Eyes |
| Tail | Hareline Hen Saddle Grizzly Dyed Olive |
| Body | Bruiser Blend Dark Olive |
| Rib | Brassie Gold Wire |
| Collar | Bruiser Blend Dark Black Copper |
| Head | Arizona Simi Seal, Dark Olive |
The Near Nuff Sculpin is a classic sculpin pattern originally tied by Dave Whitlock. This pattern is as simple as it gets for a realistic sculpin pattern that has been working for years on end. Dumbell eyes up front to get it down to the bottom where most sculpins are living. A simple hackle body allowing for more movement and lifelike motions. The tail is a little kicker tail, any time it is twitched the tail flutters like crazy making it irresistible to a hungry fish. The pattern can be used for trout, bass, and carp, having a natural profile that fish will attract.
Dave Whitlock used a patented blend called SLF Fibers for the dubbing of the body and head. This material is still available through Wapsi dealers. A similar material is Fly Fish Food’s Bruiser Blend that dubs well as a noodle for the body. The head is using another similar material, Arizona Simi Seal, which provides a good number of teased out fibers that flow over the body. The hen hackle should be applied with some of the lower marabou fibers acting as a collar behind the lead eyes. These fibers will transition to the soft barbules of the hackle as the hackle is palmered to the rear of the body. This pattern comes in a classic olive color and is tied in sizes 4 and 8. Tan and Golden Brown are also popular colors.
Try a strip-and-pause retrieve to mimic the erratic, darting movement of a sculpin. If you’re fishing slower currents, a dead-drift presentation can work just as well, letting the fly tumble naturally along the riverbed.
Variations
Near Nuff Sculpin, Brown
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 5263 #4-8 or TMC 708 #6-10 |
| Thread | Veevus 6/0, Olive |
| Flash | Root Beer Krystal Flash |
| Eyes | Medium Red Lead Eyes |
| Tail | Hareline Hen Saddle Grizzly Dyed Brown |
| Body | Bruiser Blend Brown |
| Rib | Brassie Gold Wire |
| Collar | Bruiser Blend Dark Black Copper |
| Head | Arizona Simi Seal, Brown |
Near Nuff Sculpin, Tan
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 5263 #4-8 or TMC 708 #6-10 |
| Thread | Veevus 6/0, Olive |
| Flash | UV Tan Krystal Flash |
| Eyes | Medium Yellow Lead Eyes |
| Tail | Hareline Hen Saddle Grizzly Dyed Tan |
| Body | Bruiser Blend Dark Sasquatch Brown |
| Rib | Brassie Gold Wire |
| Collar | Bruiser Blend Dark Black Copper |
| Head | Arizona Simi Seal, Golden Olive |