Gills - The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference - page 92
Gills
Gills, particularly on nymph patterns, are not an anatomical feature that most American tyers typically seek to imitate in much detail. There are few exceptions, however. The prominent abdominal gills on large burrowing mayfly nymphs such as Hexagenia are sufficiently conspicuous that they are a part of many nymph patterns that represent these species. On midge pupae, many tyers simulate gills by tying a peacock or ostrich herl collar at the head of the fly using the technique shown in Method #26: Single-herl Body, p. 117. And Mike Mercer’s Poxyback series of nymphs are characterized in part by the inclusion of tuft gills at the rear of the thorax. But for the most part, American tyers are content to tease out a few strands of dubbing between turns of rib-bing on a nymph abdomen to suggest the delicate, feathery gills on some species. European tyers, by contrast, particularly English tyer Oliver Edwards, take greater pains to imitate gills on subsurface patterns, and their dressings often tend to be more realistic in appearance than American designs. We are indebted to Edwards who has kindly consented to let us reproduce some of the innovative and unusual gill techniques he demonstrates in his book Flytyers Masterclass. Flies with bead bodies require special gilling techniques shown in Method #97: Feather-gill Bead Body, p. 183; and Method #98: Dubbed-gill Bead Body, p. 184.
Method #3:
Tuft Gills
“Tuft” gills are fashioned from clumps or bundles of material, often applied at the rear of a nymph thorax, though they can be tied between abdominal segments as well. Some tyers also use this style on streamer patterns, particularly sculpins, applying a bit of red material at the base of the fly head to suggest the gills on a baitfish. Nymph gills are generally delicate, mobile structures, best imitated by soft, fluffy material that has movement in the water. Marabou is commonly used, and CDC can make excellent gills provided it is not used in quantities that inhibit the sinking of the fly. But one of the best materials to tie tuft gills is the plumulaceous portion of a feather—the very soft, fluffy, short barbs found near the base of the stem (see “Feathers,” p. 5). Much like marabou in appearance, these barbs have very fine stems and are quite flexible and lively under water. Other materials, such as very soft barbs from body or flank feathers, can also be used. The techniques for tying tuft gills are virtually identical to those for tying bundled-fiber legs, and so the instructions provided in the following sequences are abbreviated. Readers seeking a more detailed explanation should consult Method #7: Side-mounted Bundled-fiber Legs, p. 416. Other techniques, particularly Method #8: Gathered-fiber Legs, p. 417, and Method #10: Wingcase-split Legs, p. 419, can also be adapted to form tuft gills.
The main sequence demonstrates forming tuft gills by mounting individual clumps of material at the rear of thorax. The alternate sequence shows tuft gills mounted between abdominal segments.
Step 1. All components that lie behind the thorax are dressed, and the wingcase (if one is used) is mounted. Strip or clip a small clump of gill material—weʼre using the fluff from the base of a hen hackle—and pinch it at the mounting point.
Once the mounting point is established, you may wish to dampen extremely soft materials to consolidate them and simplify handling.
Step 2. Transfer the clump to the left fingers, and mount it directly in front of the abdomen on the near side of the hook shank. The projecting gill fibers should be about half the length of the abdomen. When the first clump is secure, mount a second one on the far side of the shank.
Step 3. Dress the thorax, using the left fingers to hold the gill fibers against the sides of the abdomen as the thorax material is wrapped. Take a wrap of thorax material tight against the base of the wingcase; this will help keep the clumps of gill material separate and flare them outward.
Step 4. Fold and secure the wingcase as explained in Method #1: Folded-strip Wingcase, Steps 5-7, p. 230.
Step 1a. To create tuft gills between the abdominal segments, dress the tail of the fly, and use the body material, such as the dubbing shown here, to create the rear-most body segment. Position the tying thread 3 or 4 thread-wraps ahead of this body segment.
Step 2a. Select a feather to form the gills. Weʼre using the fluffy barbs at the base of a pheasant body feather. In this technique, two gills tufts are formed simultaneously—one from the barbs on each side of the stem. Prepare the feather by clipping away the tip, leaving just the fluffy barbs at the base, as shown in the middle. Preen most the remaining barbs toward the feather base, leaving a “V” of barbs at the tip of the stem, as shown on the right. To produce a uniform pair of gills, the barbs on each side of the stem should be of equal length. If necessary, preen the barbs in “V” upward into a clump, and break off the very end of the clump so that the barb tips are even.
Step 3a. Straddle the section of barbs over the hook shank so that the point of “V” lies over the tying thread. Using light tension, take 2 wraps of thread over the feather stem.
Step 4a. With the left fingers, lightly pinch the two clumps of gill material against the sides of the rearmost abdominal segment. Pinching the barbs helps keep each clump in position on the side of the shank when the gills are drawn to size. With the right hand, pull the feather stem beneath the thread wraps, shortening the gill fibers until they reach the desired length.
Step 5a. When the gills are properly sized, clip the excess feather and bind the butts of the gill material. Take another wrap of body material to form the next abdominal segment.
Step 6a. Repeat Steps 3a-5a until gills are formed between all abdominal segments.
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