johnk

On another forum someone requested step by step tying instructions for my Wine Killer so I might as well post it here as well. This pattern is incredibly productive when trout are on leeches or when there is no discernible hatch in progress.

RECIPE:

Hook: Diachii 1273 #12
Bead: #8 Red Silverlined
Tail: Two strands of scarlet red krystal flash
Body: Small Red Vinyl Tubing over red holographic
Wing: Dark Maroon or Wine Rabbitstrip cut down to a width of 1/16th"


Step 1. Put bead on hook and place hook in vise. Tie thread in behind bead and lay down a thread base down to tail tie in. Tie in two strands of flash.


Step 2. Tie in dubbing loop of about 5" and run your thread back up to directly behind bead. Cut one strand of the dubbing loop, this will leave you a 10" piece of thread for your tie off at the end.



Step 3. Turn strip upside down and backwards so it is extending over the eye of the hook and tie in the tip of the strip.



Step 4. Trim the butt of the strip and cover with tying thread. Directly behind the butts tie in your vinyl strip with tight wraps and lash it to the top of the shank all the way down to the tail leaving a gap of 1/16th" between the tail and the body for your final tie off.



Step 5. Tie in red flash and wind up the body and tie off behind bead. Wrap vinyl tubing up shank with tight touching turns. The more you stretch it the more flashy the finished pattern will be so you be the judge. I personally stretch it as tight as I can.



Step 6. Tie off vinyl tubing and pull rabbitstrip back and whipfinish in front of the strip and behind the bead.



Step 7. Now to utilize that 10 inch piece of thread at the tail of the fly to tie off the rabbitstrip. To find your tie in spot on the strip, wet your fing and stroke the hair straight up because you don't want to trap any hair when you tie off the back end of the strip. Tie off right behind the vinyl tubing and in front of the tail of krystal flash. I use three tight turns (almost thread breaking tension) and three halfhitches.


Step 8. Stroke the hair back from the front of the fly and, voila, the Wine Killer is complete. I do add a drop of krazy glue to the halfhitches from the bottom of the shank being very careful not to glue any of the rabbit hair.



Tie some of these up and make them sparse and skinny. The fish will rip 'em up and leave you with almost no hair on the strip!