Klinkhammer

The Klinkhammer is a longstanding pattern with a history of productivity. You will see me struggle with a few parts of this fly, but I didn't put up this channel to show perfect tying. Rather, I hope to share some great patterns and show some tips that will help you with many patterns - while being humble enough to know I am not a professional. There is a Klinkhammer hook. If you don't have these, look at the shape online and find a hook that closely matches the Klinkhammer hook. The first step is to tie on a wing (what will be the parachute) using McFlylon in white to the top of the fly. Secure the material and cut it off with your scissors at an angle sloping down the bend of the hook. That will help you begin a good taper. Take several jam wraps in front of the parachute to help it begin to stand up. Create a nice taper behind the parachute going fairly deep into the hook bend. Here I am using a tan and brown mix of Superfine dubbing to dub the abdomen. Use much more of the tan than the brown, overlay the brown over the tan, and break/mix these together by breaking them apart a couple of times (don't overdo it). When these are combined, you will get a bit of a variegated look. Get the dubbing very tight and begin making wraps from the hook bend to a couple of hook eye lengths behind the wing. Don't hesitate to tighten the dubbing as you go along. Move your thread to behind the parachute and begin taking thread wraps around the base of it. Here you are beginning to create a post that you will be wrapping your hackle around. Now tie in a hackle feather right behind the parachute, leaving the stem exposed a bit so when you are securing the hackle to the post you have a clean area to work with. Here, I don't use a hackle gauge to find a hackle matching the hook size. I want this hackle to extend over the hook eye and over the hook bend. Take several wraps in front of the wing to begin building some bulk there. We want our next material to lie cleanly, so it is important to not have too much variance in diameter immediately behind the wing and immediately in front of the wing. From here, move your thread just behind the wing, and begin securing the hackle feather's stem to the post. This is also a good time to increase the height of the post if needed. Next, tie in three or four peacock herls about two eyelengths behind the post. Take several wraps of the herls behind the wing and transition the wraps tightly in front of the wing. Continue wrapping until you are about one eyelength behind the eye and secure the herls. This will give you a pronounced and beefy thorax. Whip finish and remove your thread. From here, I will reposition the hook, so that the post lies perpendicular to your tying surface. Restart your thread on the post itself, and then leave it resting at the very base of the post. Now you can begin wrapping your hackle around the post taking touching wraps to create some bulk while avoiding trapping fibers from the previous wraps. Continue wrapping until you get to the base of the post. Secure the hackle with thread wraps around the post, and then whip finish around the post base. Then remove your thread. Reposition your hook back to its original location. Finally, trim the parachute to length. Remember, it is better to have the post be too long than too short. Your Klinkhammer is ready to go!