Narrow River Floating SilverSide

It will float up on a fast retrieve and on the slow retrieve for the intermediate sink. Wes Wyatt originated this fly in a series of Narrow River flies that have worked over the years in the Rhode Island area.

Hook: Standard saltwater size 1/0 to 2/0. Mustad 34007 or 3407

Thread: White 3/0 Monocord.

Tail: Five to six strands of Strike King white rubber skirt material.

Body: Silver pearl E-Z Body Braid / Rainy’s float foam.

Wing: Rainy’s black sheet foam under- wing, White bucktail over which is one plum of silver gray marabou on top of this is one olive green plum of marabou.

Eyes: #6 Self-adhesive stick on

Throat: Blood red chenille.

Head: Rainy’s float foam under head of Silver/Gold pearl E-Z body material.

1.     Cut a two and one half-inch piece of medium ½ inch silver pearl Orvis E-Z body braid. Heat a hatpin and burn a hole in the braid half an inch from the front end: roughly a half-length of the hook shank back: making sure the lateral line of the body material is on each side.

2.      Choose four to six strands of Strike King white rubber skirt material. Slide them in about one eighth of an inch leaving out about one inch.

3.     To tie off the end and secure the rubber skirt material inside, gently grip the body braid in the jaws of your vise about a half an inch or less from the end where the skirt material hangs out.

4.      Take your white thread and tie off the end. Whip-finish and cement all the wraps with a drop of super glue.

5.     Cut a two-inch piece of Rainy’s small ½ inch float foam. Slide it down to where you tied off the skirt material, making sure it doesn’t block the hole you burnt in the body braid.

6.     Place your hook in the vise and cover the shank with white thread to the bend of the hook. Tie in one strip of Rainy’s white underbody foam and wind forward tightly to about a sixteenth of an inch from the eye of the hook and cut off excess whip-finish cut your thread and cement.

7.     Remove the hook from the vise and feed it into the hole you burned in the body braid during step 1.

8.     Replace your hook in the vise and re-attach your white thread. Make sure to position the lateral line of the body material evenly on each side. Tie down the body assembly keeping the entire front half of the hook shank free for the wing, foam, and head.

9.     Tie in a small ¼ inch wide strip of Rainy’s Sheet Foam extending just at the bend of the hook shank. Add a small bunch of white bucktail on top of the end of body braid, extending to just about halfway down the body material. Over this is a plum of silver gray marabou, on top of this is one plum of olive marabou.

Tie in one wrap of blood red chenille in front of all wing material Cement all wraps, whip-finish cut thread.

10.     Cut a three - quarter inch piece of medium 3/16 Rainy’s float foam, burn a hole in center of cylinder a little smaller of the diameter of hook shank. Super glue the hook shank well, this will help to push it over the eye of hook to where you ended the red chenille.

11.     Cut a one-inch piece of large 3/8 silver/gold pearl body braid. Position it over the hook eye extending forward tie it down and whip-finish. Cement all wraps well cut thread. Push the body braid back over the foam cylinder to form the in side-out cone. Re-start your thread tie down whip-finish cement wraps well.

12.     Add self-adhesive stick on eyes cover with one drop of epoxy.

13.    Take a green permanent marker and coat the lateral line on each side of the body braid.