Bill Shuck's Collared Peccary Soft Hackle Wet Fly

This beautiful soft-hackle was originated and tied by a friend of mine, Bill Shuck, from Maryland. Bill lives near Bel Air. He is retired, loves to fly fish, and does some commercial tying for Great Feathers Fly Shop in Sparks, Maryland, where I am scheduled for wet fly classes on the weekend of October 8th and 9th. (see the post here for information of these classes). He calls it the Collared Peccary, and here is his recipe:

Collared Peccary Soft Hackle

Thread: Pearsall’s gossamer #11A, scarlet, highly waxed with some tying wax that he cooked up himself.

Hook: Daiichi 1550, #14

Body: Peccary bristle, with a very light coat of the same wax used on thread

Hackle: Fiery brown India hen back. I didn’t ask Bill, but I am guessing there is only a single turn of the hackle, it is sparse – and beautiful. Just right!

Isn’t the basic simplicity a nice feature about flies like this? With just two ingredients, the Collared peccary is nothing like a fancy married wing wet fly, but to me, it is still as much fun to tie, and a thing of beauty nonetheless, especially as illustrated here; well-tied and photographed by my friend Bill. Thanks Bill! Keep up the good work!

After I placed the Collared Peccary soft hackle, Bill sent me another original her created a few months back. It’s a Tenkara style, called the Spring Grey. Here is his recipe:

Spring Grey Tenkara Soft Hackle

Hook: Daiichi 1530, #14

Thread: Pearsall’s Gossamer #3, Primrose

Tag: Thread wraps

Abdomen: Two strands of heron herl wrapped together

Thorax: Natural mole fur in dubbing loop

Hackle: English waterhen upper covert

This is a more complex, yet still beautiful soft-hackle, representing a tying style I admittedly know little about. Thank you, Bill, for this fine specimen of your work.

Spring Grey Tenkara, tied by and photographed by Bill Shuck