Hook:
Pinch down barb before
placing hook in vise. Barbless is essential for this pattern
because fish typically inhale the fly.
Plastic Straw Tool: Prior to attaching
thread to the hook, cut a 1/4 inch length of plastic soda straw
and slide over the end of the bobbin (for use in step #12).
Thread: Attach thread to the hook
immediately above the point of the hook and wrap to the bend.
Leave the hook shank bare from the point of the hook forward to
the eye.
Poly yarn: Tie in a strand of poly yarn at
the bend and wrap the tag end forward to the point of the hook.
I use a strand that is half the thickness of the yarn, as it
comes off the card.
Furled, Extended Body: Twist the poly yarn
several times in a clockwise direction and fold the yarn back on
itself to form a furled, extended body. Tie in at the bend and
wrap to the point to form a well proportioned underbody. The
body should extend beyond the bend approximately the length of
the hook shank.
Dubbing: Dub over the wrapped portion of the
poly yarn.
Crystal Flash: Tie in two strands of
Crystal Flash at a point mid-way between the point and the
bend. Fold the strands of Crystal Flash back and tie down.
Trim the Crystal Flash to a point just beyond the end of the
extended body.
Elk Hair: Clean and stack a bunch of elk
hair. Tie in on top of the underbody, mid-way between the point
and the bend to form a trude style wing that extends just beyond
the end of the body. Trim the excess hair similar to an elk
hair caddis.
Rubber Legs: Tie in a double strand of
rubber legs on either side of the hook at the same point where
the wing is tied. Trim legs to the length of the body.
Dubbing: Dub over the tied portion of the
rubber legs.
Hackle: Tie in the hackle immediately in
front of the wing.
Soda Straw Tool: Gather the hackle, rubber
legs and wing together. Slide the piece of soda straw (step #2)
off the bobbin, onto the hook and over the wing.
(The straw
keeps the hackle and rubber legs out of the way while spinning
and clipping the thorax.)
Deer Hair: Beginning at a point
immediately in front of the underbody, spin deer hair the length
of the bare hook shank, leaving sufficient room behind the eye
for one or two wraps of hackle and a small head. After covering
the hook shank with spun hair, take 2 or 3 half hitches as a
precaution in the event the thread is accidently cut while
trimming the hair.
Clip the spun hair to a
uniform cylindrical shape that is approximately twice the
diameter of the extended body and flat underneath the shank.
Hackle: Slide the piece of soda straw back
onto the bobbin. Palmer the hackle through the clipped hair,
taking the first full turn of hackle at the tie in point for the
rubber legs.
Finishing Touches: Whip finish and glue.
