Tying the Nelly Bly

 

Step 1. Use black thread to affix the gut eye at the point of the hook. The point should extend about half way into the eye. Then use a heavier gauge white thread (I use GSP 200) to create a tapered body. I do this by simply winding back and forth a few times, extending further back with each wind. Leave the thread so it hangs down short of the rear of the barb.

 

 

 

 

Step 2. Strip the metal from the end of a short piece of fine oval tinsel. Tie in on the far side of the hook, catching just a couple of metal windings. If you don't do this, the metal will unwind ultimately. Bind down the core by winding forward 5 wraps, or 8 if you're using GSP thread.

 

 

 

 

Step 3.Trim the core of the tinsel.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4. The thread should hang down short of the tip of the barb, as shown. This will leave room for the butt.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5. Tie in the floss on the far side of the hook. Wrap thread forward eight wraps. Spiral thread forward to the eye. Kelson called this "making off" with the thread.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6.Wind the floss back to the tinsel, then forward to just short of the hook point. Unwrap your thread seven turns and catch the floss. Bind down the floss with four turns of thread, cut the floss, and then take thread forward one more turn. This will form our base for the tail and ostrich herl butt. Wrap back to the floss.

 

 

 

 

Step 7.Shape a golden pheasant crest feather (open it up a bit) by crimping the first third with your thumbnail on the back of it. Flatten and crimp the stem. Tie in a tail that's about 1 ½ times the size of the hook gap, measuring from the tail tie in point to the tip of the tail. Secure it with three wraps forward, then tug it forward until it looks like the picture. This will gather the fibers a bit and make the tail very stable. Don't overdo the pulling, too much and the fibers go everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Step 8.From the side it looks like this. Once situated, check the tail carefully, and then cut the butts and wrap two more wraps forward, again checking, then five wraps back to the tail tie in point. Make sure everything sits perfectly vertically. There is no coming back from a mistake here.

 

 

 

 

Step 9. Strip the end of a piece of ostrich herl and tie in. Wrap thread forward 5 or 6 wraps.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 10. Wrap herl 4 or 5 wraps forward. Make sure that the stem leads as you wrap. Tie off.

 

 

 

 

Step 11.Measure from the front of herl to the start of the head (black thread). Here it's 40 millimeters. Divide this number by 4 to get the spacing for the body segments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 12.Tie in a piece of flat tinsel after trimming the end to a point. Bind down, taking the thread to a point 9 millimeters from the butt. This leaves some room for the 2^nd butt, or joint.

 

 

 

 

Step 13.Tie in the red floss, bind down with 8 wraps and then make off with the thread (spiral thread forward to the eye). "Making off" is a term from Kelson that I like very much.

 

 

 

 

Step 14.Wrap the floss back the butt, then forward again. Unwrap all but 1 wrap of thread and bind the floss ends down with 4 wraps forward. Cut them, take one more wrap, then wrap thread back to the floss.

 

 

 

 

Step 15.Wind the tinsel forward three turns and tie off on the bottom of the hook, on your side, as shown.

 

 

 

Step 16.Check the far side and make sure the three wraps show. If so, trim the tinsel.

 

 

 

Step 17.Tie in 2 matching Indian crow feathers or subs on the bottom of the hook, back to back.

 

 

 

 

Step 18.Check the bottom against the keel of the hook.

 

 

 

 

Step 19.Tie in 2 matching Indian Crow feathers or subs on the top sides of the hook back to back. Leave a space between them to accommodate the wings.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 20.Wind thread four wraps forward, cut the butts, then forward one more turn. Wrap back to the Indian crow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 21.Duplicate the previous stage, with light blue floss this time.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 22.Attach pairs of blue jay feathers below, and above, as you did the Indian crow. These should straddle the Indian crow. Be sure to leave a good space between the top feathers to accommodate the wing. Make sure to mount the feathers so the gray side is away from the hook shank. The gray will be covered later.

 

 

 

 

Step 23.The space between the top jay feathers is important.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 24.Wrap another butt as before, slightly larger than the previous one.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 25.Create another body section as before, with green floss this time.

 

 

 

 

Step 26.Tie in a pair of jungle cock eyes back to back on top of the hook. The tips should extend just beyond the jay feathers and embrace them.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 27.Once again, leave space for the wings.

 

 

 

 

Step 28.Tie in a pair of Jungle cock eyes on the bottom of the hook, mirroring those on top. Both pairs of eyes should straddle their respective jay pairs.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 29.The bottom pair is tented a bit to straddle the jay.

 

 

 

 

Step 30.Tie in another butt, slightly larger than the one before.

 

 

 

 

Step 31.Create another body section as before, with magenta floss this time.

 

 

 

 

Step 32.Now mount the wings as shown. Note that some strands have been removed from the bottom of the feathers as well as the top. This has been done so that the feather can sit more level on the hook, not cocked up. The space will be hidden later. The ones removed from the top will allow the top to flow better with the jay. These are a matched pair of macaw covert feathers, mounted back to back.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 33. Mount large jay feathers as a part of the wings, one on each side. You'll need to crimp, twist, flatten, and otherwise bend these to your will to get them to sit right. This goes for all the body feathers.

 

 

 

 

Step 34. Tie in large jungle cock eyes on each side of the jay, as shown.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 35. Attach a mirrored pair of jungle cock eyes on the bottom.

 

 

 

 

Step 36. Select a large topping with lots of curve at the ends. Straighten the front of the topping by crimping the top of it with your thumbnail. Put a bend in the front mounting area and flatten it with tweezers. Mount as shown.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 37.Add a second topping similar to the first.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 38. Tie in the horns one at a time near the top of the head. I like to use lefts and rights for this, but it's not absolutely necessary if you don't have the right feathers.

 

 

 

 

Step 39. Tie in a piece of ostrich herl in front of the wing, as if you're going to wind another butt section.

 

 

 

 

Step 40. Here is the finished fly after winding a herl head.

 

 

 

 

 

Nelly Bly Recipe

 

 

Tag: Silver twist and green silk (the same shade as the green feather of the Macaw).
Tail: Topping.
Butt: Black herl.
Body: In four equal divisions of floss silk: #1, the same colour as the two feathers of the red Crow, which are above and below, and butted with black herl, as also is each of the rest. #2, the silk is the same blue as the four Jays. The best idea I can offer of #3 is that the silk is the same in tone as that of a green parrot, and a few shades darker than the tag; and #4 of magenta silk, each having four jungle cock.
Ribbed: Flat silver tinsel.
Wings: Two red orange Macaw feathers, with one Jay feather on either side, which are from the overgrowth, having blue on both sides of the shaft; two golden toppings above.
Horns: Blue macaw.
Head: Black herl.