Christmas Island Special
Description
The Christmas Island Special is a simple bonefish shrimp and baitfish attractor from the tropical flats of Kiritimati, formerly Christmas Island. It rides hook point up with bead-chain eyes and shows a slim pearl body, sparse wing, and a little flash for clear shallow water. It is a good first saltwater pattern if the tyer can seat bead-chain eyes firmly with figure-eight wraps.
Materials
- ribbing: Fine Gold Wire
- thread: Orange, 6/0 Thread
- wing accent: Pearl Krystal Flash
- body: Pearl Mylar
- eyes: Small Silver Bead Chain Eyes
- hook: Stainless Saltwater Hook
- wing: Tan Craft Fur
- wing: White Calf Tail
Tying Instructions
- 1.
Secure a size 4–8 stainless saltwater hook in the vise with the shank level.
- 2.
Start the orange thread behind the eye and wrap a firm base one-third of the way down the shank.
- 3.
Tie in the small silver bead-chain eyes on top of the shank with tight figure-eight wraps about one eye-length behind the hook eye.
- 4.
Add several locking wraps under the eyes and touch them with head cement or thin resin.
- 5.
Wrap the thread back to the bend in smooth, even turns.
- 6.
Tie in a sparse clump of white calf tail at the bend, extending about one hook length past the bend.
- 7.
Tie in two or three strands of Pearl Krystal Flash on top of the calf tail and trim them even with the wing.
- 8.
Tie in the fine gold wire and Pearl Mylar at the bend.
- 9.
Wrap the Pearl Mylar forward in touching turns to the bead-chain eyes and tie it off.
- 10.
Rib the body with the fine gold wire in open spiral turns, tie it off behind the eyes, and helicopter the waste end free.
- 11.
Tie in a sparse overwing of tan craft fur behind the eyes, extending just past the calf tail.
- 12.
Build a neat orange thread head in front of the eyes, whip finish, and apply head cement.