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Purple Peril Waker
Purple Peril Waker
Tying Instructions
1. Secure the hook to the vise. Start the thread behind the eye and lat a thread foundation along the shank.
2. On top of the hook shank just above the point, attach a strip of foam. The foam can be cut from a 2mm layer in 2mm slits. Secure the foam with tight thread wraps at the base of the strip.
3. Work the thread up and down the foam strip, lashing the strip to the top of the hook shank.
4. Pinch off some fibers from the base of a Hen Saddle hackle for the tail. Keep the fibers even.
5. Secure the tailing fibers to the bend of the hook just behind the foam slit. Apply one thread wrap under the tailing fibers to make it stand upright.
6. At the base of the tail, attach a piece of tinsel for a tag and ribbing. Wrap the tinsel three times to create the tag. Secure the tag with a couple of thread wraps and leave the remaining tinsel hanging.
7. Next, Expose the core thread of a strand of Fine Black Chenille and secure the chenille thread in front of the tinsel tag.
8. With the saddle hackle that you used for the tail fibers, massage the fibers back from the tip. Secure the tip of the saddle hackle to the top of the foam just in front of the Black Chenille.
9. Next, wrap the chenille forward to create a body and secure the chenille about 2 eye widths behind the eye with thread wraps.
10. Palmer the saddle hackle forward to the end of the chenille. If you have enough hackle, wrap a couple of times at the collar. If not, just secure another saddle hackle by the base of the saddle and give it a couple of wraps to make a full collar. Note how the saddle has a tapered form when wrapped with the hackle tip secured at the tail end.
11. Now, wrap the tinsel tag forward with some oscillating movement to keep the fibers from being trapped by the tinsel. 4-5 spirol wraps will do. Secure the tinsel tag end just behind the eye with thread wraps.
12. Using about 8 flashabou strands, attach the strands at their midpoint just in front of the collar with thread wraps. The rear section of the strands should lay over the shank reaching the base of the tail.
13. Bring the forward section of the flashabou strands over to double the amount of strand now over the shank and secure with thread wraps. Create a small thread head behind the eye of the hook.
14. Use a whip finish and apply a head finish. I am using an acrylic black Nail finish.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 7999 #4-12 |
| Thread | Danville 6/0 Olive Dun |
| Tail | Grizzly Purple Hen Saddle |
| Floatation | 2mm Fly Foam |
| Body | Fine Black Chenille |
| Tag/Rib | Narrow Mylar Tinsel, Silver |
| Hackle | Grizzly Purple Hen Saddle |
| Wing | Pearl Flashabou |
Purple Peril Waker
The Purple Peril Waker is a pattern that I took off from Scott Sadil’s article in Jan/Feb 2015 issue of California Fly Fisher. Within that article, Scott describes a waker pattern used by his friend, Steve Wrye. Basically, any soft hackle or streamer can be made into a waker with the incorporation of fly foam to the shank. The purpose of a waker is to present itself at the surface film without breaking the surface. The floatation helps but you also need to use a floating line, a riffle hitch, and an across the stream swing presentation.
Riffle Hitch
The Riffle hitch is merely one or two half hitches of the tippet around the head of the fly pattern behind the eye of the hook after you have tied the tippet to the eye of the hook using an improved cinch knot or a turle knot. The misalignment of the tippet causes the pattern to have greater fluctuations of movement and will help pull the pattern closer to the surface. The hitch position to the pattern will create different actions when fished across the current. The most popular position is to tie the hitch so that the tippet is on the bank side of the pattern when the fly is directed upstream.
Presentation
Try to keep direct line tension to the fly and apply some pauses or jigging action. You can also use this pattern on stillwater applications utilizing pause and retrieve actions. The technique is useful for both trout and smallmouth bass. The pattern I am using is the Purple Peril. This is a classic steelhead pattern that was first tied by Ken McLeod in mid-1960’s. The pattern coloration works with varying water clarities. The fact that you can wake this pattern provides the action to stimulate wild trout as well as Steelhead.