Saturday, December 15, 2012

Duck Season

Mallard Sakasa Kebari
I awoke this morning to the sound of duck hunters in action.  I only live a "stones throw" from the Long Island Sound so it's not unusual to hear them going about their business.  Today they sparked a little creative idea in me.  I picked up a pair of mallard duck wings back a little while ago and have used them several times for hackle in a few sakasa kebari.


I tie a fair number of flies for sale, swaps, and friends. Sometimes I just like to tie fun little diversions like this fly I call a Mallard Sakasa Kebari.  It reminds me of a mallard duck with it's grey body color, green head, and purple patch like on it's wings.  I don't know how well it will fish or if I will even cast it to a rising trout  but it seems with all that is going on in this world we can use all of the little distractions we can get. Recipe is below for anyone interested.

Mallard Sakasa Kebari

Hook: Mustad C49S scud hook, size 12
Hackle: mallard hackle from outer wing
Head: Pearsall's gossamer silk thread, highlander green
Body:  6/0 Uni-Thread, color grey & Pearsall's gossamer silk thread, purple
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8 comments:

  1. Brk TrtDecember 16, 2012 at 5:05 AM

    Nice fly.
    Sometimes that combination of color will be enough to trigger a strike.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KiwiDecember 16, 2012 at 10:43 PM

    Thanks Brk Trt. I think it would definitely pick up some bluegills. If it catches some trout all the better. It was kinda of fun to tie.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kirk MantayDecember 20, 2012 at 2:12 AM

    Funny...I shot a wood duck one day last year and another hunter traded me a mallard for it, so he could use the wood duck feathers for fly tying....

    ReplyDelete
  4. KiwiDecember 20, 2012 at 8:30 AM

    The wood duck has some excellent feathers for tying flies. If I had to choose between the two which to use I'd stick with wood duck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 3 Brothers FliesDecember 22, 2012 at 3:02 PM

      Cool fly! I love duck hunting. The feathers are great, and I tie a lot of flies with them, but I've never used the wing for soft hackle. I'll have to try it next time I get a duck. Also, does the reversed hackle increase the effectiveness of the fly, or is it a style thing?

      Thanks,
      Conner
      3brothersflies.com

      Delete
    2. KiwiDecember 22, 2012 at 11:43 PM

      It can increase its effectiveness. With a traditional soft hackle if you give the line a slight tug the hackle will collapse along the body. With a sakasa kebari a twitch will cause the hackle to open, let go and it will close. This gives the appearance of life and therefore it can be more attractive to trout.

      Delete
  5. TenkaraOnTheFlyDecember 27, 2012 at 2:28 PM

    Chris, this fly looks like a winner to me!

    ReplyDelete
  6. KiwiDecember 27, 2012 at 4:39 PM

    Thanks Karel....it was just one of those "messing around" kind of flies but I think it came out OK and I just might try and use it this coming year. Hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete

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