Silver Blue

• Hook · standard salmon streamer hook sizes 4 - 10

• Thread · black

• Tag · fine flat silver tinsel

• Tail · golden pheasant crest

• Rib · oval silver tinsel

• Body · flat silver tinsel

• Throat · light blue soft hackle

• Wings · barred teal flank

• Wing · matched slips of barred teal flank

• Head · black tying thread

• Finish · head cement or clear varnish

Tying Instructions

1. 1

   Secure the hook in the vise, start the black thread behind the eye, and lay a smooth thread foundation toward the rear of the shank.

2. 2

   Tie in fine flat silver tinsel and make a short, even tag near the bend. Secure the tinsel and trim the excess.

3. 3

   Select a properly curved golden pheasant crest feather and tie it in as a short tail, keeping it centered over the hook shank.

4. 4

   Tie in the oval silver rib on the underside of the shank and leave it extending toward the rear.

5. 5

   Tie in the flat silver body tinsel at the rear of the body area.

6. 6

   Create a smooth, slightly tapered thread underbody so the finished tinsel body will remain even and free of bumps.

7. 7

   Wrap the flat silver tinsel forward in touching or slightly overlapping turns to form a smooth body. Secure it behind the eye.

8. 8

   Counter-wrap the oval silver tinsel forward in evenly spaced turns to rib and reinforce the flat-tinsel body. Tie off and trim.

9. 9

   Prepare a light blue soft-hackle feather, strip fibers from the stem, and tie the fibers beneath the hook as a sparse beard-style throat.

10. 10

    Cut matching slips from paired barred teal flank feathers, align them with their natural curves together, and mount them over the body as a centered feather-slip wing extending approximately to the end of the tail.

11. 11

    Secure the wing with controlled thread wraps while preventing the feather slips from rolling around the hook.

12. 12

    Build a neat black head, whip finish, and apply head cement or clear varnish.