Stingray Intruder inspired by Ken Sawada

The last couple of day I been cleaning up in my flytying room that had become a real mess and found some old hidden or forgotten flyboxes in a drawer with flies that I made and fished with for eight to ten years ago. Many of my daughters first attempts to make tubeflies and also some intresting other flies that some how have lost there place in my boxes today even that they did catch lots of fish back then. I realy don't know why some of these flies have been put a side but when I get new ideas and start using new material or technics I often transfer my old favorite colors into new patterns and old ones is forgotten. It's Always fun to Watch old flies and see how I tied and what materials I used back then and sometimes give an old pattern a make over like in this case. 2006 I got my hands on a copy of Ken Sawadas book "Tube & Waddington Flies" and I got realy inspired by Mr Sawadas beautiful tubeflies. I Always have used a lot of bright colors and like to try all sorts of crazy color combinations (at least some of my fishing buddies would say) and that's why I realy liked Ken's flies. So when I found these old Sawada style patterns I was realy inspired to re-make then to something in Intruder style that I would tie and fish with today using new technics and also adding some new materials to them. I started this make over on one of my old favorites, the Stingray! Black, green and a little touch of white is a very nice color combination that works well in most of our Salmon rivers all over the world and many fishermens out there have caught big fishes on these colors.

The things I have changed from the original pattern is first that I put in a tin tail of bucktail. Second I tie in a Guinea hackle in the back. Third I change the color on the front shoulder Amherst from white to green but also some other small changes. 

Pattern recipe: Stingray Intuder

Tube: Lime Green

Tail:  A small bunch Black Bucktail tied in forward and holded back. 3 strands of Green Mirage Flash. 3 Natural color Amherst pheasant fibers. 2 Grizzly natural saddle hackle.

First hackle: Natural Guinea

Eyes: Green Pro JC

Body:Bright Green dubbing. (I brusch out the dubbing to get more volym to the body just to get more of a siluett as I will use this pattern for the Baltic Sea run browns that tend to like bulkier flies.

Ribb: Oval silver tinsel (I use no ribb as I spinn the dubbing in a loop)

Front shoulder: Black fox hair spun in a loop. Black Marabou spun in a loop. A bunch of Green Amherst pheasant fibers tied in around the tube or spun in a loop. You can also use a Composite loop and tie in all materials at the same time. Take a look at OPST on Youtube were Jerry French shows how composite loops should be made.

Head: Metallic green Pro Sonic disc or similar discs from other brands.

Try not to over dress the fly as it will swimm much better if spares dressed.

The new one on the left and old on the right.