How to tie the Hot-Butt Willie Gunn

Time Well Spent May 15, 2024

The Willie Gunn needs little introduction. It remains the favourite fly of gillies and fishers across the world. If you are unsure what to put on, have confidence in this fly’s proven track record. Tied on a double hook, it is the ideal match for a floating or intermediate line with tips in late spring, throughout the summer and before you reach for the tubes again at the back-end of the season.  

Materials

Hook: Up-eyed double (Partridge Patriot)  Thread: White
Tag: Gold wire  Butt: Glo-brite floss no.7 (orange)  Body: Black floss
Rib: Gold wire  Throat: A few fibres of yellow, orange and black bucktail tied short  Wing: Yellow and orange mixed bucktail tied tapered and long with two strands of gold Krystal Flash and a sparse overwing of black bucktail fibres  Hackle: Black cock  Eyes: Jungle cock  Head: Black

Step 1 Run on the thread. Tie in the wire before where the bends of the double diverge. Apply five turns to form the tag, then draw the loose end forward and secure.
Step 2 Tie in the orange Glo-brite floss leaving a long loose end projecting over the tag. Apply overlapping turns of the floss to create a short but distinct “hot” butt.
Step 3 Draw the loose end of floss over the butt then secure and remove the waste. Tie in a length of wire under the shank, then add two strands of black floss.
Step 4 Wrap the floss along the shank to form the body, then secure the loose end with thread. Apply four evenly spaced turns of wire over the body to form the rib.
Step 5 Prepare a slim pinch of mixed yellow, orange and black bucktail and catch it in under the shank as a throat. Secure it with tight thread wraps.
Step 6 Mix more orange and yellow bucktail into a bunch and secure it in place to form the wing. Add two strands of gold Krystal Flash plus added fibres of black bucktail as an overwing.
Step 7 Trim the waste hair at this point to avoid a “lip” forming. Swap the white thread for black. Catch in a black cock hackle by its tip and apply touching turns.
Step 8 Stroke the fibres back to create a slim hackle. Add jungle cock cheeks and trim the waste before creating a “clean head”. Cast off the thread with a whip finish.