Fly Tying Patterns
Toms Thumb
- Details
- Created: Sunday, 20 December 2009 21:40
- Last Updated: Sunday, 20 December 2009 21:40
- Written by Ulf Hagström
- Hits: 2579
Tom Thumb
Hook: Tiemco 100 10-16
Thread: Black 8/0
Tails, body and wings: Deer hair
Some patterns you just stumble upon and realize that you have clearly missed out of something directly you see it. The Tom Thumb was such a pattern when I first saw it. Looks dealy simple and since I had been searching for a quick tied caddis puppa fly that was more visible than the Superpuppa I was very pleased when I found it.
In an article at FAOL Philp Rowly writes:
"The Tom Thumb traces its origins back to 1940s England. Immigrating to western Canada, the Tom Thumb quickly found a local following. Author Art Lingren credits the naming of the Tom Thumb to late British Columbia angler Collie Peacock. According to Art, Collie Peacock named the pattern after meeting a California dentist who put the Tom Thumb to good use near the town of Jasper. Veteran B.C. angler Bus Ellis uses the Tom Thumb so much we have christened it the Bus Fly. . .the Tom Thumb is one of British Columbia's most famous fly patterns."
Others that I know has testify it to be a very popular pattern in Canda and it's strange that it has not reached so far in other countries. It's dead easy to tie and you can tie it with different types of bodies, thread only or dubbing but I have ties it here as I understand that it was originaly tied with open "segments" in the deer hair.
Step 1
Start by measuring in the tails, they should be aproximatly the same length as the hook shank. Use a rather thin bunch of deer hairs, to much will give the fly too much bulk.
Step 2
Tie them in with hard open wraps towards the bend and do a couple of more easy wraps just at the end to prevent the deer hair from flayling.
Step 3
Take anequaly thin bunch of deer hair and measure it to be the same length as the hook shank and tail.
Step 4
Tie these in the say way in opend hard segments towards the hook eye.
Step 5
Fold the long section forward to the hook eye and secure it with 4-5 hard turns of thread.
Step 6
Lift up the deer hair tips and wrap a few turns underneath them to get the wing to rise up.
Whip finish, varnish and cut off! Voila!