THE
MODIFIED
FUR FLY

RESEMBLING A goby, sandy, or one of the small fish living among the stones of estuaries or rivers, this is a bigger pattern than the Rabbit Fur Fly. Being somewhat buoyant it can be worked and made to behave in ways similar to those described for the Rabbit Fur Fly. It is a very good fly for night fishing for sea trout either in rivers or estuaries, working well on either floating or sinking lines. It also makes an excellent lure-fly mounted a metre behind a bubble float if you care to fish that way.

In New Zealand the Modified Fur Fly proved great for catching trout feeding on gobies where rivers enter lakes. The trick is to fish the fly slowly across the current on the lip formed at the river mouth. Early morning seems to be the best time to fish these areas.

The fly has also proved to be an excellent pattern when fished to galaxiid feeders at Lake Sorell. It works well when cast to the disturbance made by a foraging trout, allowed to settle and then retrieved slowly.

It is also very effective when fished along the rocky shores or among the tea-trees. The water at Sorell always carries a little colour, and this large fly is accepted readily, even during the middle of the day.


DRESSING
Hook: No.6 or 8 long shank.
Tail: Bunch of four or five strands of peacock herl.
Body: One or two pinches of brown kangaroo fur, one behind the other, one piece of rabbit fur tied as for the Rabbit Fur Fly.
Head: Yellow thread.
Thread: Yellow polyester sewing thread.


The No.6 hook should be whipped with thread to the bend, at the same time tying in a bunch of four or five pieces of peacock herl to protrude about 12 mm beyond the hook bend. Take the thread back in open turns for about 8 mm and tie in a pinch of brown kangaroo fur on top of the hook. The resulting fur wing should be about 14 mm long.

Wind the thread forward for three or four close turns and tie on another pinch of kangaroo fur of the same size as the previous one.

Now proceed forward with the thread for another 4 or 5 mm and tie on a piece of rabbit fur prepared as for an ordinary Rabbit Fur Fly. Make a head with the yellow silk or thread. Of course, after tying on each bunch of fur the hair roots should be trimmed neatly and soaked in clear nail varnish.

Sometimes, in order to make a plumper fly, we tie on three bunches of kangaroo fur instead of two, though two bunches are usually enough. Incidentally, possum body fur can be used if you can't get kangaroo or wallaby fur.

SUMMARY
* Whip hook to bend, tie in peacock herl tail.
* On shank of hook tie in separately two pinches of brown kangaroo fur and a piece of rabbit fur prepared as for the Rabbit Fur Fly.
* Finish head.

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