Buzz Hackle

Buzz Hackle

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Tying Instructions

1. Clip some fibers from a spade hackle. I’m using Red-dyed Chinese Saddle, selecting the portion of fibers without any webbing and is at least the length of the shank. Keep the tips even and mount onto the top of hook shank using a pinch method.

2. Attach a grizzly hackle by the butt oversized so that the fibers extend about twice the hook gap. This hackle will be about two sizes larger than the fore hackle. Mount a section of gold/silver tinsel with the gold side facing you. If you put the gold facing you, the silver will be on top once you wrap. Secure at the tail tie-in position. Make sure that the fibers from the hackle will not be covered by the tinsel.

3. Wrap the tinsel about 1/3 the hook shank and secure with thread wraps.

4. Wrap the hackle forward with each wrap in front of the other. Make 3-4 wraps and secure with thread wraps.

5. Attach 3 peacock herls to the shank by the tip. Secure the herls to the base of the aft hackle. Twist the herls around the thread to prepare a rope.

6. Wrap the herl forward to the 2/3 position and secure with thread wraps.

7. Attach the brown hackle by the butt. The size should be two sizes smaller than the aft hackle.

8. Attach the gold/silver tinsel to the side of the shank with the silver side facing you. Secure with thread wraps to the base of the herl body. Make sure that the Brown hackle fibers will not be caught by the tinsel when it is wrapped.

9. Wrap the tinsel with the gold side facing you. Secure with thread wraps behind the eye.

10. Wrap the hackle 4-5 turns and secure. Trim the tag and Whip Finish.

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	TMC 100 #10-16
Thread	Danville Black 6/0
Body	Peacock Herl
Tail	Red Hackle Fibers
Aft Hackle	Grizzly over Silver Tinsel
Fore Hackle	Brown over Gold Tinsel

E.C. Powell

Buzz Hackle

The Buzz Hackle is a Fore and Aft pattern similar to the Sierra Bright Dot and the Grey Ugly. It was designed by Myrtle Powell in the 1920’s at their fly shop in Marysville, CA. Myrtle was the wife of famed bamboo rod builder, E. C. Powell, and an accomplished fly tier.

Mr. Al Lent, a friend of the Powells, requested an attractor dry fly that would consist of both Brown and Grizzly Hackle. He also wanted to utilize peacock herl. Myrtle came up with this pattern and immediately found the positive results within the waters of the Yuba River drainage. Mr. Lent’s son, “Buzz” was to pass away a few years later and the fly was named in his Honor. Clyde Powell, Myrtle’s son, continued to tie the pattern which extended it’s popularity.

A larger Aft Hackle

Note that the Aft Hackle is one size larger than the Fore Hackle. This is the opposite of the Sierra Bright Dot and Gray Ugly as the Aft Hackle on these flies are always one size smaller. By keeping the larger hackle in aft, the hackle helps support the extra weight of the hook curve so that the fly floats more evenly on the water. As with the Gray Ugly, the Buzz Hackle can also be tied onto a heavier wet fly hook and used subsurface.

Information Sources

Thomas C. Duncan Sr. provided most of the information on the Buzz Hackle. It was passed down to him from his Grandfather who fished the Yuba River and neighboring streams. Thomas is an accomplished fly tier and resides in Northern California as a Pastor. I have also found references to the Buzz Hackle in Ed Klingelhofer’s book, “Fly-fishing California’s North Yuba River” and Louis Bignami/Denis Peirce book, “North Tahoe Trout”.

Trent Pridemore in his article, “Trout Flies Unique to California” (California Fly Fisher July/Aug 2008) wrote that a version of this fly was popular around Lake Davis during the early 1970’s. Evelyn Gamble of Portola tied a version of the Buzz Hackle in which the tail was a mix of Grizzly and Brown hackle fibers. The entire body was palmered with the two hackles , thus it was no longer a Fore and Aft pattern. It was fished as a dry on the South Fork of the Feather and as a wet fly on Lake Davis when stripped just under the surface during the late evening.

For additional information regarding the Powells, please visit this website by Rich Morrison: http://www.classicpowellrod.com/