Pompero a step-by-step user guide

Chasing Atlantic silver with dry flies is my favorite factor to do, and in addition, by far the best solution to catch the fabled salmon for me. And my favorite dry is a Finnish specialty, Pompero. It has quite a bit frequent with Bomber. However, there are some key parts that differentiate Pompero from its extra well-known American cousin.

The fly was initially made well-known by Heikki Anttonen, who’s now a day identified within the smallish Finnish fly fishing social media scene as Mr. Pompero. Typically, individuals have tailored the fly to go well with their fashion of fishing or simply to please their eye extra, and I’m no exception. That is the way in which I tie Pompero, and it has been very productive for me. However, for instance, my pricey fishing buddy ties fairly many issues differently and catches much more fish than me with the Pompero (and with every other fly, for that matter), so I’m fairly sure that it’s much less in regards to the precise particulars and extra about the way in which you fish the fly (of which speak extra about in my article on problem 4/2014).

As you may see, I’m not such a talented craftsman as a few of my colleagues right here in the CS blogosphere, however, for the fly to be efficient, it doesn’t essentially must look fairly for human eyes. In any case, right here’s the way in which I do it.

Pompero

• Hook: #4 TMC 7989
• Thread: Black
• Tail: White calf tail
• Physique: Gray polypropylene, formed as cigar
• Hackle: Dun
• Wing: White calf tail
• Head: Thread

Pompero is kind of an easy fly to tie, and you are able to do it with no prolonged listing of supplies typically required for extra classical patterns. Mainly you want only a hook, some calf tail, polypropylene, and a superb high-quality hackle.

Hook

My normal alternative of hook has these days been TMC 7989 in measurement 4. It has fairly mild wire, which makes for a pleasant excessive floating fly however is missing when combating the massive fish. Dimensions 4 have a bit thicker wire. Up to now, I haven’t misplaced a fish due to the hook (although they actually haven’t been put to check with the most important fish within the hardest locations). However, dimensions 6 feels simply too mild for me, so I’m searching for the best hook for smaller Pomperos. Proper now, I’m utilizing TMC 5212 terrestrial hooks for them, however, misplaced a couple of fish due to the hook final summer season, so I’m not fully happy with it.

Another good choice is Partridge’s CS42, with the usual measurement of 6 (it truly makes for a barely larger fly than #4 TMC). It has been confirmed to be a very sturdy hook. The drawback in it’s that the purpose of the hook is actually quick, and it wears out when sharpening the hook. A good factor with dries is that you just don’t should sharpen them, so typically, since they’re not hitting the underside.

I additionally know a few individuals who like to make use of heavy wired nymph hooks, particularly in smaller sizes, to assist while you struggle with that 15-kilo monster; however, up to now, I haven’t been prepared to make the trade-off with floatability. Possibly that may occur after I lose the primary, actually massive one due to the hook.

Physique

I make the fabric for the physique by reducing some polypropylene yards into about 1-centimeter items. Then I Pluck and roll the fabric in your palms to brake fiber and blend it up. I often combine only a trace of the inexperienced or pink yard into the physique. I actually assume it’s extra due to behavior than something that basically impacts the fishing. In this manner, I can change flies into one thing a bit totally different if the necessity arises. However, I actually haven’t noticed any vital variations due to this firming.

You’ll be able to, after all, make some extra radical modifications to the colors of the fly, for instance, by including a scorching spot or a belt into the fly. Or you may tie the entire fly in fully totally different colors. However, for me, simply the fundamental gray has by far been the most efficient shade, and the usual measurement 4 gray Pompero is my first weapon of alternative in any dry fly fishing scenario.

Hackle

Discovering the correct hackle is, by far, essentially the most difficult part of tying the Pompero. The hackle in Pompero must be thick with stiff barbs because the hackle is the predominant factor conserving the fly afloat. That is one factor that differentiates it from Bomber, which is floating extra on its deer hair physique.

The most effective feathers which can be lengthy sufficient (had been speaking minimal of 15 centimeters right here) and lengthy; however, even barbs that don’t taper an excessive amount are present in saddles. The most effective saddles to seek out are the decrease grade ones. The trendy saddles have been genetically bred to have optimum materials for dries dimensions 10 and under. This, alongside the low availability of saddles, has made the correct hackle materials arduous to seek out. Net shops will not be a lot of use right here since you need to examine the saddles yourself to seek out the best ones.

Even essentially, the most appropriate candidates often have possibly 10-20 nice and one other 10-20 sufficient feathers. Each time I go to a fly store, native or one that’s new to me, I all the time flick through their storage of saddles in case I discover the proper type of materials. If I run into one, I instantly buy it. The final respectable saddle I discovered was two years in the past. I’m simply completely happy I’m not tying these items commercially since it will actually be an ache within the ass to be regularly looking for the best hackle materials.

I’ve two appropriate saddles, an older Hareline Professional Grade Dun saddle that’s good and value me only 20€. I’ve for long thought that I’ve used all of the usable feathers from it; however, nonetheless discover a couple of appropriate candidates if I search for lengthy sufficient. The newer and dearer saddle is Whiting Professional Grade. Nevertheless, it’s not as productive as Hareline was in its heyday. An excessive amount of materials for smaller flies.

In case you may discover appropriate materials, it’s attainable to tie the hackle in two components: one for the physique and another across the wing. In these circumstances, you would possibly discover usable materials from some necks additionally; however, usually, the most effective hackles come from the saddles.

Tying

Begin the fly by constructing a pleasant base with thread. The color of the thread doesn’t matter a lot; you need to use white, black, or possibly even some brighter shade to make a pleasant scorching spot on the top. With TMC, I like to make use of black thread for the traditional seems.

Take a pleasant bunch of white calf tails for the tail. The tail might be fairly thick since it is necessary for a part of the form the fly leaves on the floor. The longest hairs ought to be in regards to the size of the hook and the thicker half size of the physique.

Tie the tail in. Reduce it to about 2/3 of the size of the physique, and be safe firmly with thread.

Take a bit thicker bunch of white calf tail for the wing and use a hair stacker to make it even. Tie it in, after which safe by going in the direction of the attention of the hook with the thread. Go away; sufficient room for a couple of turns of hackle and a head.

Unfold the wing out to type a pleasant V-shape. Prop the wing up with the tying thread. Then minimize the surplus materials from three totally different lengths to make it tapered. Safe with thread to make a good cigar-shaped base to construct the precise physique.

Tie within the hackle from the tip of the stem.

Dub some polypropylene on the thread and begin constructing the physique. When dubbing the physique I have these days been doing the identical factor as Mr. Pompero himself and using this pure wax that’s made for leather-based sneakers to maintain them dry. It helps with the polypropylene (it may be a bit troublesome to deal with as a result of the fiber being kind of tough), and the fly floats higher while you soak the entire thing with the stuff while you’re tying it even for those who use floating on the riverside.

As soon as once more it’s not a necessity, I did simply superb without the wax for a fairly few years, only a small useful gimmick. I didn’t use it when tying the fly photographed right here because it makes the fly look a bit foolish and moist earlier than it settles in.

Proceed to construct a pleasant cigar-shaped physique from the polypropylene.

Roll the hackle across the physique in even turns. Make the hackle fairly thick.

This generally is a tough half because it’s simple to interrupt the sunshine stem while you begin to roll it across the physique. Some use skinny monofilament lines to save the hackle. This makes the fly extra sturdy. However, I’m typically too lazy to do that and have been doing okay, even without the additional reinforcement.

Make thicker turns of the hackle close to the bottom of the wing. I am inclined to tie the wing in an upright place, after which it’s attainable to make some activities the opposite aspect of the wing additionally. You, too, can depart the wing in Bomber-style forward-leaning place. You then naturally can’t tie the hackle in the entrance of the wing.

Safe the hackle, type a pleasant head and use tremendous glue or varnish to complete the fly.

And there you could have it. Pompero is a straightforward but amazingly environment-friendly fly for Atlantic Salmon. It may be additionally used for any species enthusiastic about dry flies of various sizes

and colorations. For instance, a barely smaller Pompero in measurement 6 or 8 is a superb attractor sample for brown and rainbow trout. And it’s a ton of enjoyable to fish with dries, so I strongly suggest presenting it as a strive.