Andrew Marshall Sea-Run Cutthroat Series

Candelfish

Andrew Marshall continues his series for the Sea-Run Cutthroat of Puget Sound with Candlefish. You can see more in this series and other flies tied by Andrew Marshall at The Flies of Andrew Marshall. See his note below about tying his Sea-Run Cutthroat series.  

Andrew's Notes: All hackles are golden pheasant crest feathers, tinted with fine tipped Sharpie markers, tied in at the base of the fly and palmered up the body. The rib is tied in cross-wise to the direction of the hackle, over the hackle to bind it down. Collars are natural yellow Golden Pheasant crests tinted as the hackles are. Usually there are two or three turns at the most, and then the tip is tied back over the body, on top of the hackle, and usually slightly longer. The purpose of the hackle is to carry the coloration of the body outwards and throughout the whole fly in a flashy, lively manner without being overly bright. The collar serves to spread the secondary color of the fish suggested throughout the pattern in a slightly more compact way than the hackle. The wings and throats are basically to highlight the outlines of the fish and possibly represent certain details like par markings or fin markings.

The color referred to in the pattern is the color of the Sharpie marker used, and not necessarily the color of that results from the combining of the yellow feather and the pen. For example, a blue pen on a yellow feather makes for an interesting green, but green on yellow does not make blue.

The depth of the color can be controlled by how long the feather is allowed to dry after tinting. Wiping off with a paper towel will remove some of the ink and lighten the color. There will also be color that will stain the fingers while tying. This will also stain other materials. This is a good thing, as long as it is not over-done.

Slim, slender, sparse, and subtle...suggest rather than trying to imitate.. These patterns are supposed to be fished with a rapid retrieve.

Hackle/collar tips, when tied back are usually no longer then to the base of the tail, usually shorter, never longer.