The Royal Shad Fly

This shad fly is part of The Pfeiffer Collection.

This fly is more complicated than the typical shad fly I would chose to tie. That said, it is a very interesting looking fly and one that I enjoyed learning how to tie.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to tie the Royal Shad Fly:

The Royal Shad Fly Pattern Materials:

Hook: Size 8, 4x long (I chose a 2x but would recommend a 4x)
Tail: Sparse Yellow Kip Tail
Butt: Red Chenille
Body: White Floss
Ribbing: Silver Tinsel
Collar: Red Chenille
Wing: Yellow Kip Tail
Head: Black

Instructions:

1. Hook and Thread Setup:
   • Place hook in vise.
   • Tie on the thread
   • Start the thread behind the eye of the hook and wrap it a few times to secure it.
   • Wrap thread to bend and bring back up to the tie in point
   • Leave enough space (two eyes) to build a head later.
   • Trim the excess thread.
2. Tail:
   • Select short, sparse yellow Kip tail fibers. The length of the tail should be the same as the body.
   • Tie these fibers in at the tie in point.
   • Wrap the thread back to the hook’s bend.
3. Butt:
   • Tie in Red Chenille at the bend of the hook.
   • Make a wrap or two with the chenille.
   • Capture it again with your thread and trim away excess
4. Ribbing
   • Tie in some Silver Tinsel in front of the chenille butt
5. Body:
   • Tie in a piece of white floss.
   • Advance thread forward to tie in point
   • Wrap the floss forward to the tie in point to form the body.
   • Secure the floss with a few wraps of thread.
   • Trim the excess floss.
   • Wrap the silver tinsel over the body.
   • Secure the tinsel with a few wraps of thread.
   • Trim the excess tinsel.
   • Apply a thin coat of Sally Hansen’s clear nail polish to protect the body.
6. Collar:
   • Tie in red chenille for the collar.
   • Wrap chenille one to two times to build a collar similar to what you did for the butt.
   • Capture the chenille with thread and trim the excess.
7. Wing:
   • Select a sparse clump of yellow Kip tail for the wing.
   • Tie the wing in front of the collar, ensuring it’s the same length as the tail.
   • Wrap the thread over the wing to secure it.
   • Trim the excess wing material.
8. Head:
   • Switch to black Danville’s flat waxed nylon thread.
   • Wrap the thread tightly around the hook shank to form a head.
   • Whip-finish the thread and trim the excess.
   • Apply a final coat of Sally Hansen’s clear nail polish to the head.