My Attempt at a Fish Taco

Base: 25 mm Waddington Shank or 3xl streamer hook cut at the bend

Connection:  30lbs Fireline  or beading wire

Hook: 4 Gamakatsu Octopus

Weight: Small lead free wire (optional)

Rear Egg: Chartreuse chenille

Body: Pink diamond braid secured by medium gold wire

Wing: Pink ostrich in a dubbing loop with flash tied on top

Hackle: Pink schlappan

Instructions

Secure your base into the vise.  Loop the hook onto the Fireline and lash the Fireline to the hook.  I like to add some glue for extra security. At this point you can add a thin layer of weight to the front third of the base, leaving some room at the front.  Once the glue has dried, tie in a ball of chenille at the rear.  In front of the chenille, tie in the diamond braid and wire.  Next, wrap the diamond braid up the base and tie off (still leaving room at the front).  Secure the diamond braid with gold wire and tie off at the same point as the diamond braid.  Then, form a dubbing loop.  Wax the dubbing loop and add the ostrich (10 herls or so).  Spin the dubbing loop and wrap. Try to sweep the ostrich back in between each wrap.  After you've tied off the ostrich you can add a wing of flash.  Make the flash as sparse or as heavy as you'd like.  Following that, strip one side of the schlappan hackle.  Tie in the hackle so the concave side is facing the rear.  The goal with the schlappan is to have the fibers sweep back towards the rear when finished.  Make two or three wraps of the hackle and tie off.  You're done. 

The Fly

This fly is my first attempt at a fly called a Fish Taco.  The fly was originated by Jeff Hickman for west coast steelhead in clear water situations.  The Fish Taco has a slimmer profile but plenty of movement and is easy to cast.  

I've read pink with gold and chartreuse flash or gold and blue/green flash work well on bright, cold days in the winter when you need to coax fish into action.  I have to be honest, I haven't caught a fish on this pattern but I haven't fished the fly very much and, frankly, I'm still trying to figure out the basics of the swing game.  I think it will be a producer.  If you tie one up and get a fish on it let me know.   Also, if you come up some adaptations that tailor this fly for our Midwest streams I'd enjoy hearing about those as well.

I really enjoy tying this pattern.  You can make it as simple or as complex as you want.  Additionally, with today's diverse selection of materials and colors you can experiment with the pattern to meet your needs.  I'm heading up to Michigan this coming weekend to swing some flies.  You can bet this fly will get some playing time.  Tight lines.