How to tie the Yellow Owl Shuttlecock variant

Time Well Spent April 19, 2023

The Yellow Owl is a realistic impression of a hatching olive, buzzer or sedge pupa. It is also easily seen and can act as a “sighter” for other more inconspicuous or low-riding flies in a team.

Material list for the Yellow Owl Shuttlecock Variant

Hook: Size 12-14 standard wet-fly.  Thread: Yellow  Wing: Natural grey CDC  Body: Yellow stripped peacock quill or Synthetic Quill  Thorax: Dyed yellow hare’s fur or man-made substitute

Step 1. Fix the hook in the vice and run on the tying thread. Apply close turns of the thread along the shank to form a secure base for the wing.

Step 2. Select three medium-sized CDC plumes, ensuring they contain a large number of soft fibres. Place together so their tips are level.

Step 3. Offer plumes up to hook and catch in so their tips project past the eye. The wing should be roughly the same length as the hook shank.

Step 4. Secure the CDC plumes with tight turns. Trim off the waste ends with scissors to create a taper, then cover them with tying thread.

Step 5. Wind the thread in touching turns down the shank to the bend. Select a stripped peacock quill and catch it in at the bend by its tip.

Step 6. Take thread back up the shank, laying down a smooth bed for the body. Grasp the end of the quill with pliers and wind it to the wing base.

Step 7. Each quill turn should touch the previous turn: no gaps. Secure the end of the quill at the wing base. Remove the waste. Varnish the body.

Step 8. When the varnish has dried, take a small pinch of dyed-yellow hare’s fur and dub it on to the thread. Apply a few turns to form a thorax.

Step 9. Take the thread to the eye and apply a few turns under the wing to give it a slight upward slant. Cast off the thread with a whip finish.