Fly Tying Inventory
Cat's Whisker
The Cat's Whisker is a white and chartreuse mini lure, created by David Train in the early 1980s and now one of the best known stillwater flies in the UK. It got its name from real cat's whiskers that Train tied into the tail to stop the marabou fouling round the hook. A fluorescent chartreuse body, a white marabou tail and wing and bead chain eyes at the head make it dip and rise on a pull-and-pause retrieve, a darting action that rainbows and browns find hard to ignore, especially in cold water from late autumn through spring.
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Materials
Ahrex wet fly hook, barbless, size 8
8
Veevus 8/0 thread, yellow/chartreuse
Yellow/Chartreuse · 8/0
Fish Hunter marabou, fluorescent white
Fluorescent white
Funky Fritz crystal hackle (fritz), 5mm, chartreuse
Chartreuse · 5mm
Fish Hunter marabou, fluorescent white
Fluorescent white
How to Tie the Cat's Whisker
- 1
Step 1
Put the hook in the vise and start the thread behind the eye, building a small bed of wraps where the eyes will sit.
- 2
Step 2
Lash a pair of silver bead chain eyes on top of the shank a short distance behind the eye using crossing figure-of-eight wraps. Square them up across the shank and add a drop of glue if you like.
Leave enough room in front of the eyes to wind the body material round them and finish the head later.
- 3
Step 3
Wind the thread down to the bend and back up again to give an even base along the whole shank.
- 4
Step 4
Square off the butt ends of a bunch of white marabou, tie it in just behind the eyes and bind it down along the top of the shank to the bend, so the plume trails behind as the tail.
- 5
Step 5
Tie in the chartreuse crystal hackle at the rear and wind it forward in touching turns, stroking the fibres back as you go. Stop a little short of the eyes and secure it with a couple of thread turns, but do not cut it off.
- 6
Step 6
Tie in a second bunch of white marabou, again with a neat squared-off butt, just behind the eyes to form the wing over the body.
- 7
Step 7
Carry on winding the crystal hackle over the wing roots, then take one figure-of-eight turn around the bead chain eyes. Tie off the hackle in front of the eyes and trim the excess.
- 8
Step 8
Form a neat head, whip finish and varnish.
- 9
Step 9
Set the length of the tail and wing by pinching the marabou off between finger and thumb instead of cutting it, which keeps the tips soft and tapered.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4ikUokzAj8
Credit: Funky Fly Tying