Gilled May

The Gilled May is a pattern I've been developing, and I finally got it where I want it. It has hints of a Pheasant Tail and Hare's Ear - but with stronger segmentation and gills on the abdomen. For the tail, use three fibers from a pheasant tail. If you put a bump or nub at the hook bend end of the abdomen, it will help the tails splay out when tied in. For the abdomen, I am using a white GSP thread which will make the ribbed abdomen pop. Next you'll tie in three materials for the abdomen, including midge size tubing in a Golden Stone color, a piece of brassie sized copper wire, and a peacock herl dyed to a Calabaetis color. Tie in the tubing at the end of the abdomen closest to the hook eye and stretch it tightly as you move back to the tail. Be very careful in tying in the peacock herl. These are always delicate, and, using GSP thread you can tighten your wraps enough that it will cut right through the herl. Begin wrapping the tubing up the abdomen, stretching it tight for the first wrap or two, and then releasing tension as you move up. The tubing becomes thicker as it is relaxed, and doing it this way will create a nice taper. As you wrap the tubing, don't take touching wraps. Leave a little gap between each wrap. Now - gingerly - take the peacock herl and begin wrapping up the abdomen. The herl will lay in the open grooves you left in the tube ribbing - creating your gills. Last, counter-wrap (wrap in the opposite direction you wrapped the tubing and herl) the copper wire using open wraps up the length of the thorax. Counter-wrapping will place the wire wraps across your peacock herls, making the fly much more durable. At this point, your abdomen is done. I tie off and remove the white thread, and change it over to black thread to complete the thorax. Tie in a clump of pheasant tail fibers to use as your wing case. Use squirrel dubbing in a rusty brown to create a buggy and pronounced thorax. From here, about an eye length behind the hook eye, tie in two Calabaetis colored goose biots - one on each side of the hook extending backwards to create legs. Finally, pull your pheasant tail wing case over the top of the thorax, cut it close and clean, and build up a small black head that covers any butt ends that might be showing behind your hook eye. Whip finish and you are done!