Tying the Deep Sparkling Sand Eel (page 1)

Martha's Vineyard Flats Fly - Deep Sparkling Sand Eel

Photographs By Chris Windram

Welcome to the first edition of the SaltwaterFlies.Com Fly Tying Theatre! In these pages we hope to bring you tying instructions for some of our favorite saltwater flies. Here are my instructions for making the "Martha's Vineyard Flats Fly" - The Deep Sparkling Sand Eel.

Recipie:

Hook: Mustad 34011; #2.
Thread: Cream nylon, 6/0.
Eyes: Size Medium Lead Eyes, painted black on white.
Tail: White and Olive Bucktail.
Flash: Polarflash; pearl.
Body: E-Z Shape Sparkle Body; Olive and Pearl.
Gill: E-Z Shape Sparkle Body; Red Gill.

STEP 1
Attach the lead eyes to the top of the hook, about three sixteenths of an inch behind the hook eye.

STEP 2
Tie in a clump of olive bucktail. Lash the butt ends of the bucktail all the way to the lead eyes. This will provide an underbody for the coating of E-Z Shape Sparkle Body.

STEP 3
Tie in a few strands of the Polarflash (or other flash material), and then a clump of white bucktail. Again, lash the butt ends of the bucktail forward to the eye of the hook. Tie off the thread.

STEP 4
Pick up the Pearl Sparkle Body, and give the bottle a few shakes. Always test the Sparkle Body on a piece of paper first to ensure that the material is flowing properly.

STEP 5
Begin to coat the body of the Deep Sparkling Sand Eel with the Pearl Sparkle Body. A rotary vise will be helpful in applying the Sparkle Body. If you don't have any rotary function at all, hold the dressed fly in your fi ngers, or a pair of forceps, and work the Sparkle Body back and forth along the hook shank in order to coat the fly.

[Finishing Steps]

Remember to print out this page to take with you to your vise.

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