Fly Fishing in South Wales | SBS

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Mar 01 2010

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Gareth Lewis

SBS – Sparkle Chironomid

Less is More - Sparkle Chironomid

You might remember the above pattern from a recent post I published showing two simple flies with only a few ingredients. This pattern raised a little interest on the Fly Fishing Forums lately as I received a couple of private messages asking if I would mind creating a step-by-step for the pattern’s tying process. Having never done an SBS before I was a little nervous, but what the hell, and why not.

So here we are, my very first SBS, and a guide to tying a fantastic pattern which has caught me some beautiful trout throughout the end of last season and also a good number of grayling throughout this winter. If you think the fish are rising, but can’t see any airborne insects, give this pattern try.

Hook: Varivas 2200BL-B, #24
Thread: Gudebrod 10/0, grey
Body: Pearl tinsel
Breathers: Niche Midge Wing, grey
Thorax: Squirrel

1. Catch-in thread and wind down and around hook shank.
sbs_sparkle_midge_01

2. Tie-in your pearl tinsel, wind thread back up body to just behind the eye, wind-up tinsel and catch down.
sbs_sparkle_midge_02

3. Catch in Midge Wing using two turns of thread.
sbs_sparkle_midge_03

4. Un-twist thread by spinning anti-clockwise, split with a needle and insert a small pinch of squirrel dubbing.
sbs_sparkle_midge_04

5. Re-twist dubbing by spinning clockwise to spin dubbing…
sbs_sparkle_midge_05

6. …three turns of dubbing/thread.
sbs_sparkle_midge_06

7. Tie off directly behind eye (this angles the breather upwards) and trim Midge Wing to desired length.
sbs_sparkle_midge_07

Happy midging.

2 responses so far

2 Responses to “SBS – Sparkle Chironomid”

Midge Manon 01 Mar 2010 at 10:24 pm 1

Really a beautiful little pattern!

[Reply]
Garethon 03 Mar 2010 at 10:53 am 2

Thanks for the thumbs up Midge Man, I’m really glad you like it. I’ve checked out your blog, and I must say, it’s awesome! I’ve added a link to your site under my Blogroll links, but I’m looking forward to spending a quiet hour reading through your posts.

Keep up the awesome Midge work

G

[Reply]