By Jaiem Fleischmann

The Gartside style, inspired by the legendary fly fisherman/tier Jack Gartside, is a highly versatile and very effective design. The fly "moves" water effectively while the sleek shape helps it cast a respectable distance.

I have found the Dally pattern to work very well at imitating medium size bait fish such as big spearing, smelt, sardines, finger mullet and tinker mackerel. It can be fished day or night, shallow or deep. I usually fish the fly using a moderate steady hand-over-hand retrieve.

Some other color combinations I like to use are: white & chartreuse hackle (no grizzly) with a chartreuse collar, white hackle and a red collar, and all black (hackle, collar and tubing) with red eyes for dark nights.

 

Materials

Hook: Mustad 34007SS 2/0 thru 4/0

Tail: White saddle hackle, natural grizzly hackle

Collar: White marabou

Body: 1 / 2 inch diameter white Corsair tubing

Flash: White Krystal Flash

Thread: Flat wax white, fine mono

Eyes: Size 3 black on silver stick on

Misc: Head cement, 5-minute epoxy, permanent black marker, 2 inches of 30# clear mono

Directions

1. Cut a section of Corsair tubing approx. one-and-half times longer than the hook shank. Set it aside temporarily.
2. Secure one end of the 30# mono on the far side of the hook shank at the bend. Bring the other end of the mono around behind the hook and secure it to the close side of the shank, thus forming a loop (approx. ½") behind the bend. This will act as a spring to support the tail hackles.
3. Remove the marabou from 4 white hackles and tie them at the bend of the hook. Allow the hacks to lay over the mono loop for support.
4. Add a single grizzly hackle (marabou removed) on both sides of the white hackle tail. This gives the fly a scaled appearance.
5. Lay 4 or 5 strands of white Krystal Flash along both sides of the tail along the grizzly hackle.
6. Tie one end of a marabou feather directly behind the hackles. Palmer wrap the marabou around the shank moving forward. Keep the wraps as close together as possible to form a tight collar.
7. Work the thread halfway forward towards eye. Slip one end of the Corsair tubing cut in step #1 over the hook eye and back towards the bend.. Secure the tube end to the hook shank approx. half way along the shank. Tie the tubing so the tube’s built-in weaved thread line is horizontal (i.e. along both sides of the hook). Secure with several half-hitches and coat the wraps with head cement.
8. Push the other end of the Corsair tubing back over the hook shank, doubling over itself, all the way back to just before the hook bend. The marabou color should flow out from under the tubing.
9. Attach the mono thread behind the hook eye and secure the open end of the tubing behind the hook eye. Trim the excess tubing, whip finish and coat with head cement.
10. Use the black permanent marker to carefully apply a thin black line to the thread woven into the Corsair tubing. The thread will absorb the marker’s ink. This gives the effect of a lateral line on the fly.

11. Place a stick on eye on both sides of the tubing approx. half way along the body. Coat the eyes with 5-minute epoxy to secure it in place. Do not epoxy the entire body tube! Leave it soft . Done!