Step 1: Angle the jaws of your vise so that you can clamp the hook in the vise without the jaws touching the painted part of the hook.

Step 2: Begin wrapping the thread on the hook at the beginning of the paint near the hook point. After a few wraps to attach the thread securely, begin wrapping the thread around the hook working toward the eye, creating a segmented look to the hook. It helps to flatten the thread to get the best appearance of segmentation. Once at the eye, build up a small base of thread extending about 1/8 of an inch behind the eye.

Step 3: Attach the peacock hurl and wrap that around the hook to form the head. Tie off the peacock hurl and whip finish. Coat the painted portion of the hook that has the thread segmentation with the Clouser's Heavy Base Gloss Coat as a protective layer. You need the gloss coat to protect the thread from the fish's teeth. Do not coat the peacock hurl unless you wish to add weight to the fly to fish the fly deeper.

X-File Pupa caught Cutthroat is one of the nice Yellowstone River Cutthroat that was fooled by this fly on my recent trip to Montana.

Here is the best of all - a picture of the X-File Pupa in it's best form - in the dark! ~ Jeff Pierce

About Jeff Pierce