Miami based Patrick Dorsey originally created the Kwan in an attempt to imitate the mottled blennies and gobies that inhabit the Florida keys flats, and firmly believing that the bigger flies attracted the bigger bonefish, he set about creating a fly of an overall length of about 3 inches and a colourarion the at would match these little fish, but at the same time also have a shrimpy look, and a touch of crab about it.......That sounds an impossibility, but Patrick eventually came up with his Kwan pattern that certainly has all three characteristics incorporated within its make up, and what's more, whilst primarily intended for bonefish, it has proved to be a real killer for both redfish, and the elusive permit.
An outstanding pattern that travels well, and along with the likes of Borski's Shrimp, and Del Brown's Merkin has more than stood tup to the test of time, it is fortunately also a fairly simple pattern to tie.
The example tied below is the original brown and tan version, but other useful colour combinations are tan with a chartreuse tail, and olive with a tan tan Hook: Mustad C70 SD, 34007, Tiemco 811s or similar standard shank hook. Sizes 1 to 6
Thread: 8/0 Tan
Tail: Tan Craft Fur
Body: Orange Egg Sack, Alternating length sof Brown and Tan EP Fibres (Aunt Lydia's Rug Yarn was used in the original dressing)
Eyes: Lead Dumbells, Real Eyes, Bead Chain, Plastic, or "Blind" depending on how heavy you require the finished fly to be.
Finish: Tan tying thread with 2 or three coats of Loon Hard Head or your favourite head cement.
STEP 1

Wrap the rear end of the hook to the point where the bend begins with the tying thread
STEP 2

Tie in a tan craft fur tail about 2 x the length of the hook, Fly Fur, orPseudoFur may be substituted for the Craft fur. Secure this
so the tail is coming off of the top of the hook only, andunder-wrapthe base of the tail with a few turns of tying thread to cock it
up at anangle.
STEP 3

Having completed the wing, take a piece of 20lb hard mono, and secure it to one side of the hook with your tying thread. Now wrap
it around the base of the tail, and making sure it is tight enough to support the tail at an angle of about 45 degrees, tie off on the
other side of the hook, and trim the excess.
STEP 4

Tie in a bright orange yarn egg sac over the top of the wing wraps.
STEP 5


The body is formed Merkin Crab style by alternating lengths of brown and tan EP fibres (The original version used Aunt Lydia's
rug yarn) Taking a full length of both Brown and Tan EP fibres from their respective main hanks, about as thick as a pencil, chop
them up into smaller lengthsof around 2" to 21/2". Offer one of the Brown lengths up to the hook shank immediately in front of
the tail/egg sac, on top of, and crossways to the hook shank. Now secure in the middle with a couple of loose figure of eight turns,
and adjust the length of EP so is is as central as possible. Once you are satisfied with the positioning, with your thumb on top of the
tie in point, which will prevent the fibres slipping around the shank, pull down slowly with your tying thread to tighten the figure of
eight wraps, and finish off with several more figure of eight wrappings, bringing the tying thread to a point immediately in front
of the now completed section.
STEP 6

The rest of the body is made up in the same manner by attaching alternating colour lengths of EP in a side by side orientation, until
you reach a point just before the hook eye. Once complete, brush out the fibres in order to create a crab like body, and then trim
to shape with the aid of a sharp pair of scissors.
You may well find it a lot easier to trim if you give the EP body a good dowsing ofwomenshair spray first, for once dry, the fibres will
be as stiff as a board, and it is then much quicker and easier to obtain the desired shape.
STEP 7

You can now add a set of dumbell real eyes, bead chain orplasticeyes to the fly, or leave it "blind" depending on how heavy, or light you wish
your finished creation to be. Eyes should be secured by the normal figure of eight method, and the head then finished off with a
couple of coats of Loon hard Head, or your favourite head cement.
Finally make any trimming adjustments to the body to proportionit correctly with the eyes, and if you used the "Hair Spray" technique, brush
the body through, in order to return the EP fibres to theiroriginal texture.
One important point worth mentioning, which seems to be overlooked in every example I have ever seen of Dorsey's Kwan:-
Unless you are using plasticor very small real eyes, the weight of the eyes will cause the hook to invert, and in every picture I have ever
come across, I see the fly having been tied with the hook in the normal position, and then the tier has whacked a pair of heavy eyes
on top of the hook shank. This means the fly will then fish upside down, and the fish will be viewing the "Bad" side of the fly.
If therefore you are going to add anything butlightweighteyes, either attach them to the underside of the hook (As per picture below)
when finishing the fly, oralternativelybefore starting the above sequence, rotate your hook in the vice, or fix it in upside down, and
follow the aboveinstructional sequence by tying everything on the underside of the hook. When finished and trimmed, turn it back the
right way up,and affix the eyes on the top of the shank.





Footnote

I have modified this fly and added orange tipped Olive sili legs. I also tie the fly with lead dumbells (Clouser style I also added a weed guard.. Thanks Austen Goldsmith