Bing Lemke was a proponent of extended body flies - he created his hoppers with what he called “art foam” (can’t remember what was available back in the 60’s, I’m guessing open-cell) wrapped around a piece of monofilament. For me, Carnage-style bodies are a lot easier to tie and float great, so that’s what I used here; everything else is pretty much true to the original, which was a very cool fly. The pronghorn hair happened to be sitting right in front of me so I used it on the head - spins great, but it’s a bit stiff and I had some issues winding the hackle through it; next time it’ll either be deer or caribou. Another one from Jack Dennis’ Western Trout Fly Tying Manual (Vol 2).
hook - Mustad 3906B #8
thread - UTC 140 & 70 tan
abdomen - 2mm foam tan (Carnage style)
underwing - deer hair bleached
wing - mottled turkey
head - pronghorn hair spun/clipped
hackle - ginger
Part 1
(for those who have seen this part before, please feel free to skip forward)
mount needle in vise, start thread and tie down a strip of Swiss Straw
wrap SS along the needle; coat with a little Super Glue then trim off end and thread
brush on a little more Super Glue, then start wrapping a tapered strip of foam (adjust tension to create the desired taper); slide off needle and trim away excess underbody
poke the body with a needle where you want the hook placed, add a drop of Super Glue on the back end of the (debarbed) hook, then slide it on
