Here's Chris Sandford's step-by-step guide to the The Sandford Bullet.
Chris Sandford guides us through tieing the Sandford Bullet
I wish I could say that I consciously designed this fly but I dreamt it! I woke up the next morning, tied a couple, went fishing on the River Test and caught 5 beautiful Brown Trout, the best one weighed 5 lbs. I tied some more for 3 of my fishing chums and between us we caught 138 Trout and Grayling in 30 days! Please tie it and try it and catch a big one for me!
You will need:
Hook: Kamasan B400.Size 12
Head/Wing: Bleached Elk.
Body: CDC Black
Thorax: Black Ice Dub.
Step One
Apply about 3mm of black thread to the hook. Cut, clean and stack a good pinch of bleached Elk hair. Now 'pinch and loop' the hair on top of the hook with the tips facing forward. The tips should protrude beyond the eye slightly more than the length of the hook. Before tying the waste ends down, trim them at an angle to achieve a nice tapered body.
Step Two
Tie in a black CDC feather by the tip at the back end of the hook. You can make a neat job of this by putting two loose wraps over the stalk end of the feather, pull it through away from the hook and tighten the thread at the last moment trapping the tip. Move the thread back up the hook to about 3mm behind the eye.
Step Three
Wind the CDC feather forward to form a smooth body. As you approach the thread, hold the loose CDC fibres back as you wind forward and tie off
where the thread is hanging.
Step Four
Wind the thread forward to just behind the eye and dub the thread with a pinch of black Ice Dub. Wind the Ice Dub back until it meets the CDC securing it with a couple of tight wraps. Leaving the silk hanging in this position pull the Elk hair back over the body and tie it down behind the Ice Dub forming a neat head and thorax. Whip finish with the thread in this position and add a generous amount of Bug Bond around the head and thread wraps for security.
Fishing 'The Bullet'.
Only apply floatant to the Elk Hair. The CDC will dry with a quick squeeze and a couple of false casts. The fly performs best with a fairly slack line.
I bet the first take makes you jump! Enjoy!
