The Elvis Chironomid Fly Recipe Tied by Bruce Banks

Materials

Hooks: Size 12 & 14 Tiemco TMC2302 fly hook, Daiichi 1760 or similar
Bead: Wapsi black tungsten; Size 3/32 for 12’s & 5/64 for 14’s
Gills: Uni-Stretch, tie in with White Nano Silk 18/0
Thread: UTC Thread 70, Burnt Orange or Wood Duck
Rib: Hareline Micro Tubing, Mahogany or Blood Red
Tinsel: UTC Mirage Tinsel Opal

For more materials please see our fly tying collection.

Directions (A few modification from how it was tied on BCOSF)

Step 1. De-barb your hook and put the bead on. Tie on the Nano silk and make about 8 turns to secure it (because it is slick) behind the eye of the hook and tie on about an inch of Uni-Stretch in the middle just behind the eye of the hook, whip finish, tie off and slide the bead over your gills. I leave the gills long and don’t trim them so that after finishing the fly and giving it a coat of super glue I can take it out of the vice by the gills, let it dry and then trim them.

The Nano silk is very thin and makes it very easy to allow your beads to slide over the gills to the hook eye on almost any Chironomid you tie.

Step 2. Tie in your UTC 70 and build up a slim taper from the start of the hook bend to behind the bead. I tie the tinsel in one side of the hook and the rib on the other just behind the bead and tie them in to the back of your fly and then advance the thread back up to the bead.

Step 3. Start to rib the fly with the Micro tubing and pull on it to stretch it thinner to begin with and ease off as you wrap to the eye of the hook. Try to make 7 wraps or segments as you rib your fly and try to make the spacing just large enough for the tinsel. Tie off securely and cut off the excess. Now wrap in between the ribs with the tinsel to the eye of the hook and cut off the excess. Tie a little thread bud behind the eye, whip finish and tie off.

Tying the rib first and then the tinsel helps give the fly a nice three dimensional profile. Coat your fly with UV or Super glue or Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, trim the gills when it’s dry.

Bruce Banks