Here is the Wasp Fly. Someone posted an image of a wasp with no recipe on the FAOL bulletin board a couple of years ago and I printed out the thread. I have tied it and used it to catch some warm water species since then. I also like the way it looks, so I decided to include it.
Let me know what you think.
(Click Images for a larger version.)
The first step is to gather the materials required for the Wasp Fly, which are
Pictured above and as follows:
- Hook: Dry Fly hook. (I selected a size 10 for this.)
- Thread: To Match (I chose Black.)
- Body: Yellow and Black Foam
- Wing: Feather tips (Left over from wrapping hackle. I keep a small pile of these on my desk.)
- Hackle: Coachman Brown Dry Hackle
After Gathering your materials you will need to mount the hook to be used in the vise and get the tying thread started on the hook.
Wrap the thread to the bend of the hook and create a dubbing loop. This loop will be used as the 'rib' on the body, so having two strands of thread will give it a thicker look.
The yellow foam I selected for the body was a popsickle shaped piece I found at a craft store. I cut it in half to have a thinner piece to work with. Tie it onto the hook covering the area for this part of the body. (Covering all of the abdomen with this will give you an even body shape.)
Wrap the foam forward and tie it off.
Counter wrap the 'dubbing loop' up the body in open turns. So, if you wrapped the foam away from you as you wrapped it forward, wrap the thread rib toward you as you wrap it forward.
Tie in the hackle tips for wings. For this one I have selected white tips, I also use brown or grizzly tips. It just depends on what I have 'available' and like at the time.
Clip off the extra feather bits. At this point I do not know what else I could use them for, so I toss them.
Tie in the hackle. I usually use brown for this from an old Indian hackle bit that I got with my original fly tying kit. This hacle is more for legs than to support the fly, so the choice of feather used is really not that important. Use whatever you have available.
Wrap the hackle forward and tie off. I also trim the hackle on the top of the hook so that the next step is easier, but that is up to you.
Lay a piece of black foam on top of the front third of the hook and tie it down. I usually try to cut this so it is 1/4 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. Make sure that when you are tying it down you don't trap the legs with the thread. End by moving the thread to just behind the hook eye.
Pull the black foam forward and tie it down just behind the eye of the hook.
Trip the black foam and whip finish to complete the fly.
Completed Top view.
Completed Bottom View.
Completed Fly.
