California Neil Fly Tying Recipe

The California Neil is a top producer in our beach fly box. We use this particular pattern for Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon and Cutthroat Trout. Our favourite colours for the California Neil are blue, chartreuse and pink.

We typically tie them in size 10 and 8 with a few 6’s in case we need a little bit of a bigger profile. We also tie them with a small gold brass bead to help sink them in to deeper pockets at the beach.

This particular pattern is tied with a very sparse Polar Bear hair tail but you can substitute Bucktail if needed. The natural translucency of Polar Bear is tough to beat.

We fish these with a full floating line and a 10’ clear intermediate poly leader in most instances, but a full floating like can be effective as well as a full clear intermediate line. Use a fairly slow steady retrieve, about a 4–6-inch strip with some short pauses in between.

Add a few of these to your box and take them down to the mouth of the Capilano for some Coho fishing!

Fly Recipe

Hook: Ahrex SA220 Streamer Size 10-6

Thread: UTC Ultra Thread Colour to suit

Tail: Unique Fly Tying Polar Bear Hair or Wapsi Bucktail Pieces, Colour to suit and  3 strands of Pearl Krystal Flash

Body: Lagartun French Flat braid, colour to suit

Hackle: Natural Grizzly Hackle

Tying instructions

1). Place your hook securely in your vise and attach your tying thread. Lay down a good base to cover the hook shank.

2). Tie in a very sparse tail with 3 strands of Krystal Flash mixed in about one and a half to two lengths of the hook gap.

3). Tie in your hackle and then the Lagurtuns Flat Braid.

4). Wind the flat braid forward covering the hook shank (keeping the body as thin as you can).

5). Palmer the grizzly hackle forward, tie off and you have ‘er beat!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by email searun2013@gmail.com, by phone at 604-931-5044 or stop by Sea-Run Fly & Tackle at #110-1140 Austin Avenue in Coquitlam BC.

Good luck on the water.

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