The following step-by-step is provided by Doug Korn. Don’t forget to visit Doug at his blog, 55 on the fly.
This fly is one of a series of variations of my Korn’s SCHWARPF fly.
(Swept Custom Hackle Winged All Revised Purpose Fly)
Korn’s Green Lantern is a caddis pupa imitation and has been a very successful fly for me both here in NY as well as in the Yellowstone National Park area.
materials list:
Hook: vintage Mustad Limerick #16 std. wet fly or current Mustad 3906 or Daiichi 1550 (hook size between 14-16)
Thread: Serafil tan 200/2 or Uni-8/0
Bead: 11/0 green glass seed bead
Rib: small copper wire
Tail/shuck, Shellback and Wing: red fox squirrel tail tied in by the tips, divided 1/3 for tail, 2/3’s for shellback and wing
Body and Collar: DK#28 Green Lantern dubbing or bright emerald green dubbing of choice
Step 1. Place hook with bead in vise.
Step 2. Start thread at bead. Tie in copper wire at the eye with wraps back to the bend of the hook.
Step 3. Cut a clump of red fox squirrel tail.
Step 4. Pull out the short hairs and trim the tips even. Tie them in by the tips at the bend of the hooks with wraps forward to one bead width behind eye. Note: It’s important to leave this gap.
Step 5. Wind thread back to hook point position and dub the thread.
Step 6. Wrap noodle from bend to one hook eye gap behind bead.
Step 7. Wind copper wire forward, first behind dubbing at the rear of hook over squirrel tail then forward in evenly spaced open turns. Ending with a few tight turns behind the head. Tie off and break off wire.
Step 8. Bring 2/3’s of squirrel tail forward to bead and wrap down in gap behind the bead spreading tail fibers in fan shape to form wing as shown.
Step 9. Trim tail/shuck to body length. Then fold back wing with a few tight wraps with thread winding up right behind the bead.
Step 10. Dub short noodle for collar.
Step 11. Wind collar and whip finish right behind the bead.
Step 12. Trim wing to as long as the hook, your Green Lantern is complete.
