Tying The Competition Tan-Draig Blog

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Competition Tan Draig Step by Step Fly Tying Guide

The 3D FAB Blobs have been designed by Frances Davies from the Welsh Ladies Fly Fishing Team and fly designer and tyer.

  1. Prepare your Semperfli Blob chenille by twisting to loosen the fibres
  2. Push the Sandys Flutter Disk onto the Eye Lock and Hackle Stop to create the tail
  3. Cut a Semperfli 6mm Booby Tube into 3 pieces, one per Tan Draig Blob
  4. Use a bobbin needle push a hole through the Booby Tube, through this hole slide the tail created in step one.
  5. Using the Semperfli Glow Thread whip the tail onto the hook and return to the tail with the tying thread. Cut off any excess Eye Lock plastic.
  6. Find the alignment of the Semperfli Blob chenille to ensure that the fibres step out naturally from the hook, pull off the front fibres and tie in., wind the tying thread to half way down the hook if tying a 2 colour Tan Draig Blob or the front if tying a Mono Colour.
  7. Wrap the Semperfli Blob Chenille around the hook carefully pulling the fibres forward to avoid tangling to the tying in point. In 2 colour blobs tie off the chenille, cut the excess and repeat step 6 with the second colour winding to the front of the hook.
  8. Tie of the Semperfli Chenille creating a hot spot head on the front of the Tan Draig Blob

About the Tan Draig Blob

In fly fishing things do not happen by mistake, they are frequently thought out and developed from years of observation, experience, experimentation and analysis. Fishing with the Welsh Fly Team Frances achieved 5 caps and had the top lady rod in last year’s Ty Nant competition on Llyn Brenig there is no doubt about Frances fly fishing skills.

Indeed in the development of the Tan Draig Blob has been a case of development through observation and experience of Frances Davis then working with the team of Andy Kitchener and Sandy Dickson to develop the perfect Trout Blob fly for the competition scene.  What is the Tan Draig Blob? Tan Draig in Welsh is “Fire Dragon” or “Until the Dragon”.

In fishing the competition scene Frances regularly used the tradition Blob as part of her fly rigs. However with her skilled observation she frequently noticed that trout would chase her blob flies and turn at the last minute, something was turning the trout off too often for her liking at the last minute. What was putting the trout off that final lunge? What could be done to make the Foam arsed blobs more attractive to the charging trout to ensure its aggression meant that it would take and not turn away at the last minute? It was one of those moments sitting at the end of a competition looking at a traditional Foam Arsed Blob (FAB) that Frances has her Eureka moment. Looking at the FAB in her hand she realised that there was simply a flat ring of foam at the rear of the fly, not the most attractive for a trout. As a member of the Semperfli Pro Tyers team which had access to all of the materials developed through Semperfli and The Essential Fly Frances saw Sandy’s Flutter Disks and realised that these could provide significant attraction if put on the rear of the Blob.

One year of experimentation, development and testing then occurred leading to a fly which is a true killer, one which trout fight to get hold of. Initially the Flutter Disks were held on with Monofilament and caused some knock off’s of trout at they hit the fly hard. Working with Andy and Sandy from Semperfli specifications of the new fly were developed from its initial experimentation stage. The new fly needed strong hooks as the new flies provoked significant attacks from trout, the Umpqua U501 Egg Fly hooks were selected because of their large gape helping reduce knock off’s and allowing the Flutter disk to sit correctly and their strength.

Firstly Frances decided that a fly needs to be attractive at all angles and directions to a trout so huge development of the traditional foam arsed blob occurred. Firstly at the head a fluorescent hot-spot was developed. Frances used the new Semperfli Glow Brite threads, radically different from traditional fluorescent flosses the Semperfli Glow Brite allowed tying of the fly with the fluorescent thread from start to finish with a great hot spot on the front of the fly providing a trigger point when viewed from the sides, front of the fly. Frances worked with the Semperfli dying team to enhance its range of Blob Chenilles to provide colours that suited the competition scene developing a range of chenille colours from Sunburst to Wimbledon Yellow which provided the body of the fly. Special Booby Eyes were developed at 6mm diameter to provide a perfect foam seat for the Flutter Disk. However the magic came when playing with Sandy’s Eye Lock and Hackle Stops. Using these as the hook extension tied directly to the back of the fly Frances found that the foam and Flutter Disk would sit perfectly and not move and create as many knock-offs as occurred with her experimental monofilament tied Flutter Disks.

Fishing in competitions last year Frances was extremely careful not to let people see the fly she was using. Over winter move experimentation and developed proved the Tan Draig Blob to be deadly accounting for fish even in the depths of winter.

 

2 Colour 3D Blobs

Part No

Front Chenille Colour

Rear Chenille Colour

Semperfli 6mm foam colour

Semperfli Glow Brite Fluoro Tying Thread Colour

Sandys Fultter Disc Colour

Dennis Menace Tan Draig Blob

EF-4700

Black

Red

Red

Red

Holo Red

Sunshine Tan Draig Blob

EF-4701

Black

Sunburst

Orange

Orange

Metallic Orange

Bumble Tan Draig Blob

EF-4702

Black

Fl Yellow

Yellow

Yellow

Holo Sunshine

Viva Tan Draig Blob

EF-4703

Black

Fluoro Green

Green

Green

Holo Emerald

Pink 2 Tone Tan Draig Blob

EF-4704

Dark Pink

Pale Pink

Pink

Pink

Holo Fuscia

Cocktail Tan Draig Blob

EF-4705

Sunburst

Yellow

Orange

Orange

Holo Sunshine

Cats Whisker Tan Draig Blob

EF-4706

White

Fl Green

Green

Green

Holo Emerald

Hot Cat Tan Draig Blob

EF-4707

White

Orange

Orange

Orange

Metallic Orange

Hot Sun Tan Draig Blob

EF-4708

White

Yellow

Yellow

Yellow

Holo Sunshine

Cabbage Tan Draig Blob

EF-4709

Olive

Fluoro Green

Green

Green

Holo Gold

Pink Pearl Tan Draig Blob

EF-4710

Pale Pink

Fl Yellow

Yellow

Yellow

Holo Sunshine

Fishy Tan Draig Blob

EF-4711

Black Mosaic

 

Grey

Black 8/0 tying thread thread

Holo Silver

Sunshine Tan Draig Blob

EF-4712

Fl Yellow

 

Yellow

Orange

Holo Sunshine

Pink Tan Draig Blob

EF-4713

Pale Pink

 

Pink

Pink

Holo Pink

Coral Tan Draig Blob

EF-4714

Coral

 

Orange

Orange

Holo Sunshine

 


Ian Christiansz
19 December 2019  |  10:11

Hi Frances and Sandy,
I realise it has been about 8 years since this item was posted, but I have only recently seen this item.
I purchased some flutter discs and 6mm foam, and followed the tying procedure above. I cannot get the Tan Draig to wobble on the retrieve and would like to know what I am doing wrong. I have tied flies with Marc Petitjeans Magic Heads and they undulate on retrieve, but seem to require long marabou tails to enhance the action. I only used 10mm fritz, which may be the reason for failure, but feel that the disc diameter does not protrude far enough beyond the 6mm foam cylinder diameter to provide sufficient turbulence. Do you have a short video showing the movement of this fly in the water? and what other fly types have been tied with these discs that demonstrate the wobble action on retrieve? Additionally, does the 3D designation only refer to the disc covering the rear end of the floam cylinder?
Your lake/reservoir fishing techniques are relatively new to Australian fishermen, who still generally fish with one fly. We are keen to learn and I hope you can help me.
All the best for Christams and the New Year.

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