Ally's Cascade is another great fly from that master Alistar Gowans.

The original is very similar in style to the Ally's Shrimp but many commercial versions have lost the natrural squirel tail fibres in the underwing.

Here's the dressing.

Hook:                            Your choice of size but I like it from 12's to 8's in doubles

Silk:                               Black

Tail:                               Mixed bucktail (squirrel in the smaller sizes) of Orange and yellow 

                                     with strands of silver crystal hair over. 

Rib:                               Silver oval 

Body:                           In two halves: Rear is silver and front is black

Under wing:                Top and bottom of natural squirrel tail

Over wing:                  On top only black squirrel under strands of pearl crystal hair

Collar Hackle:              Two of yelow and orange wound on together.

First off tie on your silk with a jam knot as usual.

Take the silk to the rear of the shank and tie in your ribbing material. With doubles I like to do this on the side of the shank to ensure a firm hold is on the rib. Nothing frustrates more than when you start to rib a fly and it pulls out. It happens!!!!

Take the mixed fibres from the bucktail and tie them in.

I tie in the fibres the length of the shank. This ensures two things. Firstly the fibres will not fall or pull out later and secondly it makes for a nice even body.

Tie in the silver crysta flash. the original pattern calls for 4 strands. In this case I have only tied in as our local water in Wales are less peaty and too much flash is not a good idea.

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Tie on the mylar tinsel and form therear half of the body. Again the original called for silver but I do know others that tie it gold.

Now form the front half of the body with black floss silk.

Rib the body with the silver oval tinsel and tie off and remove the waste.

Tie in the natural squirrel tail fibres above and below the hook shank. It does not want to come any further than the hook bend.

Tie in the longer over wing of black squirrel hair and then add the pearl crystal flash

on top. The original again calls for 4 strands but the same applies as before for my tastes that two is quite enough.

Now take each hackle and place them one on top of the other and using a hackle plier on the stem double the fibres over and tie them in at the head tip first.

Windon no more than three turns and tie off. Remove the waste and finish off the head. Whip finish and varnish.

Tight lines.