Your one-stop website for fly fishing the White River, the Norfork Tailwater, and Lake Taneycomo
How To Tie Kelly Galloup's Wooly Sculpin
Wooly Sculpin
Recipe: Hook: TMC 5263, size 2-6 (most of all his patterns are tied on a 3xl hook) Wieght: Tungsten cone Thread: UTC 140, Tan or color to match body Tail: Light yellow marabou or cream Body: Variegated chenille, brown/yellow Hackle: Ginger saddle hackle (Metz) Collar/ Head: Deer body hair, natural
Step 1.
Slide the cone on and start the thread in the middle of the hook shank.
Step 2.
I’m using strung marabou and I like to use two pieces. Make the tail to be a little longer than the standard proportion. I would measure it to be two times the length of the hook. Tie in the marabou at the back (bend) and wrap over it as you wind up to the stopping point, where the deer hair collar will start. If there is any excess marabou going past the stopping point, trim it close to the shank and tie in any excess.
Step 3.
We already created bulk from tying in the marabou up the shank so we don’t want to tie in the chenille the same way. I’m sure some people already do it this way, but for those who don’t, this will help you to keep the body even if that’s what you’re trying to accomplish. Peel off some fibers from the core and measure it like you see in the picture. I like to tie enough of the core down to prevent any slipping.
Step 4.
Tie in some saddle hackle, but make sure it’s long and not shorter than the gap of the hook. I usually measure mine one and half times the gap.
Step 5.
Wrap the chenille up keeping the wraps side by side, but not over lapping. Keep in mind that everything will be tied of where the collar will be tied in. Also pay attention leave metal showing so you can spin the hair. If you have a thread base it will prevent the hair from making a full 360 rotation around the hook shank.
Step 6.
Wrap the hackle up, but make sure the stem doesn’t twist as your wind it forward or you will force the hackle to go all directions instead of having the ‘lay back look”. I also keep the spaces (segmentations) the same as I wind the feather up. In the picture I count six full turns before I tied it off and cut the excess.
Step 7.
Advance the thread forward just a little to make sure you’re tying on bare shank and not any thread base. You should be able to tie the collar and head with one clump of deer hair. So go bigger when thinking about how much deer hair to select. I usually go about two pencil widths. Comb out any excess and then stack the hair. Pull it out of the stacker and tie directly in the middle of the clump. You’ll end up making three full turns before cinching it down real tight. The first two turns should be loose with the last one rotating the hair around the hook shank as you add tension. Make a few more turns through the deer hair butt ends as you wind through it going forward (in front of it). Whip finish the fly, if you still have room then you’ll need another clump of hair.
Step 8.
You’ll trim the butt ends to shape the head. The tips should lay back with out getting cut, so make sure you pay attention when trimming it. I use a curve shank pair of scissors and lay it right up against the cone when I make the cuts. Trim all the way around the head and that’s it. It might take couple of tries to get it to look the way you want.
You can also leave out the cone and trim the head like is Zoo Cougar.
