Red Tag               

Hook: Tiemco 100 orDaiichi 1330 # 10 - 20

Thread: Brown 6/0 Uni Thread

Tag: Red Wool

Body: Peacock herl

Hackle: Brown Cock

1/ First off wrap a nice even base of thread starting from near the front of the hook and extending to the point where you are going to tie in your first part of the fly, the tail. This point should be roughly level with the barb on the hook. Once this is completed and you have a good bed of thread proceed to step two.
2/ Now take a piece of red wool and tie in a fair size clump. Red Tags come in all sorts of configurations and some like to tie in a large wool tag and others a small one. Tying in a bigger piece gives you the option when trimming to make it whatever size you want. This one will be tied with an very large tag. Once this is completed move to the next step.
3/ Now trim the wool to suit. That is work out what size you want the tail to be and cut the excess off. This step can be done now or once the fly has been tied off and completed. It would be advisable for those unfamiliar with the pattern to trim it at the end. Also remove the excess wool to the right side of the thread and wind a few wraps over it to strengthen.
4/ Next take two pieces of good bushy peacock herl. These should be tied in extending to the rear of the fly and with the bushiest side of the feather on the outside. This will allow a good body to be easily constructed as the wrapping of the herl around the hook shank will cause it to stand out at right angles to the hook. Trim the excess and wind the thread forward to a point roughly 1/3 to 1/4 the shank length behind the eye.
5/ Now take one of the herl pieces and very carefully wind it forward towards the thread. Make each successive wrap just to the front of the previous one to construct a nice plump body. Care must be taken to avoid breaking the very delicate herl which would mean untying the last step and replacing the broken herl with new pieces. Once finished, tie off and trim the excess herl.
6/ Take the second piece of herl and wind forward toward the thread. This time the object is not so much to make each turn in front of the previous one but more so to avoid crushing the previous herl and also to fill in any gaps that may be obvious to the tier. Winding it in a gentle to and fro motion will help you to not squash the herl already in place. When you reach the thread tie off and trim like in the last step.
7/ We are nearly finished. Select a good quality hackle feather from your cape. Either Ginger or Brown, light or dark. I have used a normal Brown Cock feather here. Tie it angled backwards and with the dull side towards you. This will assist in getting the hackle to stand up correctly right from the very first turn. Once this is tied in trim the excess feather stem and wind the thread forward to the eye of the hook.
8/ Lastly take the hackle feather and carefully wind it forward to the thread. Make sure each successive turn is just forward of the previous one just like in Step 5 with the peacock herl. When you are satisfied with how the fly looks (the one pictured has about the minimum amount of hackle I would use) tie off the hackle, trim the excess and apply a couple of half hitches.

The Pattern

The Red Tag is an Australian Icon. It is a fly that everybody who has fished for trout has some time or another used and more than likely with some degree of success. It is revered on the lakes up top in Tasmania as being probably the single best pattern available. Used in just about every situation it has caught fish consistently; those feeding heavily on duns, at first light in midge hatches, rainbows in wind lanes sipping terrestrials, in shallow lakeside margins when fishing to tailers, moochers and foragers, in 150 feet of water and 3 feet waves, while wade polarising small lagoons in the Western lakes. There is very little more need be said about its effectiveness and status down south. 

However it has also proven it's usefulness in a variety of situations on the mainland with most fly fishers carrying a good supply of this pattern in sizes from #8-18. Whether on large rivers like the Swampy Plain or Mitta Mitta or the smallest of alpine creeks it should be carried and fished in all these sizes. It will work most times of the year but is particularly good when the weather warms a bit. From about November through to April would be the best time to fish this pattern.

Much has been written about what it represents. Beetles seem to be the general consensus and there is a strong argument to be made as the shape, size and colour of both body and tag could suggest these humble insects. Suffice to say it is a highly effective non imitative pattern that is rightly placed as one of the best of all time by Australian fishers.

The version I have tied here has an oversized tag and could be seen to slightly under hackled. This is how I like to tie them. Feel free to experiment with any facet. Some like a different colour hackle (different brown), some like a much more densely hackled fly and even slight change in colour of the tag. Even make variants for different conditions eg. a lot more hackle for windy Tasmanian lakes ...possibly even a palmered hackle...and versions more like the one tied here for fishing Goulburn river backwaters.

See you next week.

Antony