Fly of the Month Bob Ireton brings together his experience in fly fishing, aquatic entomology, and knowledge of fly tying techniques and materials, to design and tie durable and effective flies.

   Volume 5,  Issue 6                                                                   June 2004

McGinty
Fly, Text, and Photography by Bob Ireton

Over the years, I have heard several ‘veteran’ fly fishermen mention the ‘McGinty’. I finally decided to see what this fly is. I didn’t find much about the fly, but it looks like it has been around for quite a long time. It imitates a ‘Bumble Bee’. Other than the black and yellow bands of the body, I wouldn’t really call it an ‘imitation’. I think it would more accurately be a ‘searching’ or ‘attractor’ wet fly. Whatever it may be, it certainly is an interesting looking fly!

Hook – Daiichi 1530, Dai-Riki 075, TMC 3769, Orvis 1641, Mustad 3908, or any equivalent wet fly hook.
Size – 6-14.
Thread – 6/0 Black.
Tail – Red hackle barbs over which are barred Teal flank barbs.
Body – Bands of black and yellow chenille.
Wing – White tipped Mallard secondary wing quill sections.
Hackle – Brown or furnace hen.

TYING STEPS -  click on pictures for larger view

1 – Place the hook properly in the vice. If the barb is too big, consider pinching it down, or rolling it over. A micro barb may be safe for the fish. For this fly, I am using a Daiichi 1530, size 10. Attach the working thread behind the hook eye, and lay on a base of tightly wrapped, closely touching thread wraps, stopping at the hook barb. Tie a half hitch.
2 – Cut a small bunch of the red hackle barbs. With your fingers, or a pair of tweezers, align the tips so they are roughly even. Attach them at the tail location. The tail should be approximately the length of the hook shank. Gauge by eye, or measure with dividers. Secure with several turns of thread.
3 – As in step 2, prepare the barred flank barbs. I didn’t have Teal on hand, so I substituted Mallard. Attach the barbs over the red hackle, and secure with wraps of thread. I run these thread wraps forward, almost to the eye. This gives a more even body. Tie a half hitch.
4 – Tie in the black and yellow chenille, and secure it rearward, as pictured. This helps to build up the body. Stop near the barb, and tie a half hitch.
5 – Bring the working thread forward, stopping several hook eyes back. As for palmering the chenille, I tried palmering each color separately, and both at the same time. You definitely want to palmer them both together for the best appearance. You can try this till you get the best look. Then secure with the thread. Snip off the excess chenille, palmer several more wraps of thread, then tie a couple half hitches.
6 – For the wings, the recipe calls for white tipped Mallard secondary wing feather quills. You will need a pair, that is, a right and a left wing secondary feather. This is how to get the pair of wings on the fly to look evenly shaped. If you are looking at a wing, the longest feathers on the tip section are the primary feathers. The next group of feathers, which are shorter, are the secondary feathers. In the picture of a Mallard wing, the tip of my bodkin is pointing to the part of the secondary feather we want to use.
7 – I find that the wings look better, and are easier to work with, if you spread a thin coat of head cement on the underside of the feather quill you are going to use. While the glue dries, take a little break. Then snip off the section of the feather quill, as in the picture. Remember, a wing from each feather, so you have a matched pair. Each wing should be attached to the fly a little off center, so the finished fly has a small space between the wings. Attach one side, then the other. The wings should be at approximately 45 degrees, and slightly longer than the fly body. When the wings have been properly aligned, secure with several thread wraps, and then tie a couple of half hitches.
8 – Snip a small bunch of the hen hackle for the legs. Attach the hackle to the underside of the fly, just forward of the wings. Snip off the excess hackle. Build a nice head using wraps of thread. Tie a half hitch or two, then a whip finish. Snip off the working thread, and apply a coat of head cement to the thread

Copyright © 1998 - thisyear The Buckeye United Fly Fishers, Inc. Cincinnati, OH 45242