How to Tie a KLG Sulphur Frenchie

Producer: Tim Flagler

This fly, which I call the KLG Sulphur Frenchie, is designed specifically for fishing in the Ken Lockwood Gorge in northwestern New Jersey, during early summer. But I think some of you might find it useful elsewhere as well. The water of the Ken Lockwood Gorge varies quite a bit over its 2 1/2 mile length, but a large portion of it is boulder-strewn pocket water. In May, June and July, many of the gorge’s state-stocked rainbows and little stream-bred browns take up residence in faster runs and deeper, smaller pockets. These areas are safe havens for them from predators up above, such as eagles, osprey, great blue herons, mink and the occasional otter. This fly incorporates a lot of weight to get it down quickly but, tied in a size 16, is still a relatively small offering, something gorge fish often prefer at this time of year. It’s also sulphur time and any fly, either a dry or a subsurface pattern with a bit of yellow in it, seems to do well.

The KLG Sulphur Frenchie starts out with a Fulling Mill 5045 barbless jig hook. For easier handling, I like to get hold of the hook behind its eye with plunger-style hackle pliers and set it aside within easy reach.

An 1/8th inch, gold, slotted tungsten bead is rather oversized for the hook, but is really necessary to get the fly down deep quickly in fast-moving water. I like to use a bodkin to pick up the bead and get its small hole centered in the fingertips of my left hand. This makes it easy to slip the bead onto the hook, without losing either to the tying bench, or worse yet, the floor. Once the bead is safely on the hook, get the assembly firmly secured in the jaws of your tying vise. Make sure the square end of the slot on the bead points downward and the bead rests comfortably behind the hook eye.

For thread, I’ve loaded a bobbin with a spool of UTC 70 Denier in yellow. Pale yellow and orange also work, as sulphurs here vary in color as the hatch progresses over several weeks. Get the thread started on the hook shank behind the bead and, after a dozen or so wraps, snip the excess tag end off close.

.02 lead-free wire is used to add even more weight and also to help stabilize the bead on the hook. With the wire still on the spool, insert the bitter end into the slot on the back of the bead and take thread wraps to secure it. Keep taking wraps with the wire behind your tying thread and down the hook shank. After 3 or 4 turns, anchor the wire to the top of the shank with wraps of tying thread, then bring the wire in line with the shank and rock it up and down as you take rearward thread wraps. The wire should break off, leaving a little ramp down to the hook shank. Take thread wraps back over the wire, up to the bead then back down, to ensure it’s locked in place. End with your tying thread at the rear end of the wire.

I like wood duck flank feather fibers for the tail, because of their fine, dark markings, but Coq de Leon fibers will work as well. With the wood duck, separate out a dozen or so fibers while keeping their tips aligned. Snipping them free from the stem seems to work better than stripping them. Measure to form a short tail, about a hook shank in length, and transfer that measurement rearward to the start of the bend. Using the back edge of the wire wraps as a guide for your scissors, snip the butt ends off square. Give your bobbin a little counter clockwise spin, which will cause your tying thread to jump slightly rearward and catch the very butt ends of the wood duck on the first wrap. Pull up and toward you on the fibers as you take rearward thread wraps, all the way back to the start of the hook bend. This will help keep the fibers centered on top of the hook shank. End with your tying thread back up at the wire wraps. Stash the remainder of the wood duck feather away in a safe place, as it can be used to make numerous flies.

Small gold Ultra wire is used to rib and segment the fly, as well as protect the delicate pheasant tail fibers below. A 6” length will make numerous flies. Lay one end of the wire against the near side of the hook, so it abuts the wire wraps. Take wraps of tying thread to secure it there, all the way back to the base of the tail. Then once again, end with your tying thread at the back end of the wire wraps.

Fibers from a male pheasant tail feather, that’s been dyed golden yellow, are used to form the body of the fly. Pull a half dozen or so perpendicular to the stem, then pull the feather away to strip them free. It’s always a good idea to cut off the little curlies so they don’t get hooked on things, like your tying thread. Flip the clump around and trim the very tips of the fibers off square. Butt the snipped-off tips against the wire wraps on the near side of the hook, and secure them there with tight wraps of tying thread. Bind them down all the way to the base of the tail. Leave your thread right there, and start taking wraps behind it with the fibers. Pushing up on the tying thread with each touching forward wrap will help to keep the fibers nicely sandwiched together. At the back edge of the bead, anchor the fibers with tight wraps of tying thread then snip the excess off close.

Get hold of the gold wire and counter wrap it over top of the pheasant tail body, 4 or 5 turns usually looks pretty good. At the back edge of the bead, go around the wire to change your direction of thread wrap to counter wrapping. Do 4 or 5 counter wraps with your tying thread, then, once again, use the wire to change the direction of thread wrap back to normal. When you’re done, helicopter the wire to break it off close.

Golden brown Ice Dub is used to create a little collar on the fly. Pluck just a small amount free from the packet. Use the dubbing to produce a very slim, inch-and-a-half-long dubbing noodle on your tying thread. Take wraps with the noodle to build up a shimmery, fairly short collar behind the bead. Continue taking bare thread wraps to create a narrow thread collar in front of the dubbed collar. Reach for your whip finish tool and use it to do a 5 or 6 turn whip finish, seat the knot well and snip or cut your tying thread free.

These flies take a beating so a drop of head cement, here Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, applied to the thread wraps, is all but essential.

And that’s the KLG Sulphur Frenchie. Again, it’s specially designed for a specific stretch of water at a specific time of year, but I’m quite sure it’ll function elsewhere equally as well.