The Executioner

Here in northeast the spring steelhead run is in full swing and in the UK and Europe the salmon season is also happening. A great fly that is well worth tying is the Executioner. Tie it on hook sizes appropriate to the waters that you will be fishing. I have seen dressings of this fly where a black cock hackle is palmered over the body, a great way to create a fuller body for the fly. Typically I use red Danvilles flymaster (70 denier) thread to tie this fly and use the floss as I indicated in the dressing below. You can of course tie the entire fly with hot orange thread or floss. The Executioner is such a great and versatile pattern, it can be fished on floating or sinking line. It's also a very good low water pattern. Tie a few and let me know how you get on, or better yet send me a pics :)

The Executioner
Hook: Salmon or spey, single or double. (I tied the one pictured here on a Alec Jackson Spey #3)
Thread: Red
Tag: Fine oval silver tinsel
Tail: Yellow cock hackle fibers
Rib: Oval tinsel
Rear body: Glo-bright floss #4 or hot orange floss
Front body: Flat silver tinsel
Shoulder hackle: Black cock
Wing: Black squirrel or black fox tail
Cheeks: jungle cock
Head: Glo-bright floss #4 or hot orange floss