Martin's Mundane Crane Fly

Tying instructions

The steps to tying a crane fly are few and simple, which also corresponds well with the mundane principle.

• Prepare 6-8 pheasant tail fibers by tying a knot or two on each. Using a thin crocheting needle makes this process much easier.


• Start the thread in the front part of the hook shank


• Tie in the legs. They need to be about 2½ centimeters or 1 inch in length depending on the fly size. You can be meticulous and arrange them as on a live natural, or you can simply tie in three on each side, pointing outwards to the rear as on a dead insect.


• Cut a piece of Antron or Poly yarn about 10 centimeters or 4 inches in length. If the yarn is thin you may want to double it and use two strands, if it's thick you can split it.


• Twist the yarn by rolling one end repeatedly in the same direction between the fingers while holding tight on to the other end.


• Double the twisted yarn without losing the grip. I sometimes use the hook eye to catch it. Let in unroll to form a rope.


• Fasten the body material on top of the shank, having the twisted part to the rear and the body length about 1½ times shank length. Just use a few tight wraps.


• Unravel and split the forward pointing yarn in two equal parts to form the wings.


• Wrap in front of and over the wings to separate them.


• Take a few wraps in front of the wings, whip finish, cut thread and varnish.


• Trim the wings to a proper length.


• If you want to be fancy, use a black or brown marker to color the body darker than the wings.