PMDS
Pale Morning Dun Spinner
(Materials are listed in the order they are tied in. Instructions assume right handed tier)
Note: No need to snip the mink components from a mink fur coat belonging to a passer-by. Several flyshops carry mink tails. They are not very expensive and provide copious amounts of tailing material, as well as heaps of super quality ultra-fine dubbing.
Tying instructions:
- Attach thread immediately behind the eye of the hook with three partly overlapping turns. Make sure you leave a reasonable tag end of thread, approx 4-5 inches. You will be using this thread section a little later in the pattern.
- Strip unwanted fibers off the hackle and tie in, tip pointing over the eye and shiny side up, on top of shank.
- Tie in ostrich herl butt immediately behind the hackle tie in point, again with the remainder of the herl pointing over the eye.
- Wrap touching turns of thread to two-fifth shank length behind the eye, tying down hackle and ostrich as you go along. Trim hackle butt, ostrich herl butt and tag end of thread. Leave thread piece within easy reach ;-)
- Take two mink guardhairs, even tips and tie in on top of shank. Tips extending past the point where the bend starts, length of tails just over a shank length. Trap the tail material on top of shank as you wrap thread to end of shank. Trim guard hair butts.
- Now take the loose section of thread saved a little earlier and hook this around the bend of the hook, the two ends pointing to the left over the vise. Pull both ends of the thread _up_ in between the two tail fibers, effectively creating a V-tail in a horizontal plane. Adjust tension on the thread to achieve a 90 degrees split between the two tailing strands. Fold the two tag ends over the shank with right hand, use left hand to make the initial wrap of thread to secure in place. Tie down and trim excess.
- Apply a _very_ small amount of mink dubbing to the thread and form a slender, slightly tapered abdomen on the back half of the shank.
- Wrap ostrich herl thorax to meet the abdomen, trap with turn of thread. Trim excess.
- Wrap hackle over the ostrich in slightly open turns, trap hackle with turn of thread and then cut through the hackle towards the eye with tightly held thread. About a turn and a half should get you to being in front of the hackle. Three turn whip finish and a touch of varnish. Trim excess hackle tip.
- Slide tips of scissors into the hackle from front of fly just below the eye and trim hackle close to the body. This will result in a pattern featuring a spent spinner "imprint' in the film, yet remain quite easy to spot on the water for the angler.