Chappie Fly Tying Instructions

The Chappie is a traditional style wet fly for salmon, trout and steelhead fishing. The fly is designed for swinging, and it uses minimal materials to create a sophisticated design. The fly is not intended to mimic any natural food sources, but it does have an attractive orange body and a wing that creates motion as it swings through the water column. Tying the fly is easy for experts, but anglers with beginner and intermediate skills must pay close attention to each step.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 XL streamer hook number 2-10
  • Grizzly hackle
  • Orange floss
  • Medium gold wire
  • 6/0 black thread
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the hook in the fly tying vise. Start the thread at the half-way point on the hook and wrap it forward to the bend in the hook.

    • 2

      Select a matching pair of grizzly hackle tips and measure the tips to match two-thirds the length of the hook shank. Hold the hackle tips on the bend of the hook to form a tail. Make two low-tension thread wraps followed by four high-tension thread wraps to secure the tail in place. Wrap the thread back to the starting point.

    • 3

      Hold the orange floss on the hook shank and make four tight thread wraps to secure the floss in place. Wrap the thread to the bend in the hook, covering the floss with each turn. Cut a section of gold wire from a spool and hold it on the hook shank. Wrap the thread over the wire and down the shank to secure the wire in place. Stop the thread with one-third of the shank between the thread and the eye of the hook.

    • 4

      Wrap the orange floss around the hook shank until you reach the thread. Make tight wraps and cover the entire hook shank until you reach the thread. Make four tight thread wraps to secure the floss in place. Cut away the excess floss.

    • 5

      Wrap the wire down the hook shank in a diagonal pattern. Stop once you reach the thread. Make four tight thread wraps to secure the wire in place and cut away the excess.

    • 6

      Select two matching hackle tips for the wing. Measure the tips to match the length of the hook shank. Hold the tips at the thread and make several moderate tension wraps to secure the hackle in place. Pull the tips in a vertical direction and make six thread wraps in front of the hackle to set it at an angle. Make one wrap to place the thread behind the hackle.

    • 7

      Turn the hook upside down in the vise. Select a bunch of hackle fibers and hold the fibers beneath the eye of the hook to form a beard on the fly. Make several thread wraps to secure the fibers in place.

    • 8

      Wrap the thread immediately above the eye of the fly to form a thread head. Use a whip finisher to knot the thread and cut it away from the fly.