Diawl Bach

Materials

How to Tie the Diawl Bach

1. 1

   Step 1

   Fix the hook in the vise and start the black thread just behind the eye. Lay a flat, even base back along the shank to a point above the barb.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Measure a small bunch of black cock hackle fibres so they stick out past the bend by roughly the width of the hook gape, and tie them in on top of the shank as the tail.

3. 3

   Step 3

   At the same tie-in point, secure the red holographic tinsel for the rib, leaving it hanging back over the bend.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Tie in two or three peacock herls by their tips, then carry the thread forward to just short of the eye, keeping the underbody smooth and slim.

   Do not add more herl than you need; a thin body is part of what makes this fly sink quickly and look right.

5. 5

   Step 5

   Wind the herl forward in close turns to give a gently tapered body that is slightly fuller at the front. Tie it off a little behind the eye and trim the ends.

6. 6

   Step 6

   Spiral the red holographic tinsel up the body in four or five evenly spaced turns, winding the opposite way to the herl so it locks the fibres down. Tie off and trim.

7. 7

   Step 7

   Tie a sparse bunch of black cock hackle fibres beneath the shank as a beard, long enough to reach about the hook point. Trim the butts neatly.

8. 8

   Step 8

   Build a small, tidy thread head, whip finish and add a drop of varnish to the head.