After tying up some #16 black stoneflies, and a few beers, i needed to tie something a little bigger and easier. The Picket Pin has been around for a long time. Troutslammer has found out a picket pin works very well as a wet fly during a stonefly hatch.
here's my version which can be tied with a few items found around the house or on the porch!!
peacock feathers can be found in a table vase used for decorations
a feather duster is cheap and has plenty of hackle that will last for years
pop the bothersome squirrel and save the tail.
hook: #14 use any 2x or 3x wet/nymph hook
thread: black 6/0
tail: brown hackle fibers
rib: brown saddle hackle, palmered
body: 2 peacock herls
wing: gray squirrel tail
head: peacock herl
1. thread base hook shank and tie in tail using brown hackle fibers. (from a feather duster optional) i make the tail about 3/4 the length of the hook shank
2. tie in brown saddle hackle at hook bend. (you can use a cape hackle also. tie these in by the tip)
3. tie in two strips of peacock herl by the tips. NOTICE how far back from the eye the herl is tied!
4. wind the herl to the back end of the hook shank and than back up towards the hook eye.
5. tie off herl as shown, still back from the hook eye. leave ends uncut.
you can trim the left over tips nearer the shaft now.
6. palmer the saddle hackle to the place where the herl was tied off.
7. take a small clump of squirrel tail, you can use a hair stacker to even the tips, and tie in at shown point.
8. trim squirrel butts. bring thread around herl to front of hook and cover trimmed hair.
9. wrap thread over herl close to shaft, back to the tie off point of squirrel as shown. herl should be standing upward.
10. bring thread to just behind hook eye. wind ends of herl towards eye. tie off, trim and whip finish.
three was my limit before...............
