Here is a step by step for a neat little fly made from Sybai Polar Flash Dubbing.
Tied on a size 6 Sakuma 410 hook and measures around 2.5 inches long.
When submerged in the water the super fine fibres will open out giving the impression of a slightly broader but very translucent prey fish. Also giving great movement in the water even at this short length.
In the above image I have used Pearl white and Pearl Lime green Polar flash, with Magic edge eyes and for the SBS below I have used Pearl white and Pearl dark olive Polar flash.
To begin with fill your hook shank from eye to bend with thread and apply a little glue to secure it and prevent any slippage. I always use shorter shanked hooks for my Baitfish patterns as you use less material to fill the shank keeping the fly sparser and less bulky.
Next take a pinch of dubbing, just a very small amount as you really don’t need a lot to make this fly, and secure it to the hook shank just after the bend by making a few turns of thread around the mid section of the material, this will form the tail once folded back on itself.
Invert the hook and do the same underneath.
Now push the two clumps back on themselves towards the bend, and secure in place with a few whips and some glue.
Continue this same process along the shank tying each clump in front of the last until you have just enough room for one more clump by the eye. To control the dubbing through each stage I use a little moisture to tame it and keep the fibres out of the way.
For the last step take your alternate colour and tie this in exactly the same as the previous one’s.
Fold the material back again but this time instead of tying it down on itself to secure it, bring the thread forward through the material to the eye of the hook and build a small tight thread dam between the eye of the hook and the material. This will give a more rounded profile to the head.
Lastly of course whip finish and trim the thread off. A little tip here is to apply a little glue along a short length of the thread before you whip finish, this way you don’t end up getting a big blob of glue all over the head of the fly and in the eye of the hook !
Apply your choice of eye to complete the fly. I have used the Sybai Honey eyes here in 6mm.
I hope you enjoyed the SBS, this same process can be used on any size of Baitfish pattern to create a fairly bulky profile without using large amounts of material and keep the fly manageable for casting.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Really like these tying tutorials! Takes alot of the confusion out for a novice. Great work!
Happy to help ! 🙂