Don’t use these as much any more because they get chewed up pretty quickly, although mangled sinkers work just about as well as fresh ones. Anyway, I’m getting too lazy to change flies all the time so I use more stuff with foam. Even though they’ve been around for a while, they’re still effective and fun to tie. I put the head in first, like my bullet-head hoppers; makes it much easier for me to get the head/body transition point correct. 4 materials including hook and thread (I’ve seen them with dubbed bodies but I’m going for a minimalist look here) - that’s a winner; thanks Mr. Swisher.
hook - Dai Riki 280 #8
thread - Danville Flymaster Plus yellow
Tail/body - elk or deer hair (cow elk here)
head- same as tail, semi bullet-head
legs - rubber medium yellow
Part 1
Mash down barb and attach thread at head (gap width)
cut a clump of elk hair; clean, stack and measure for length (shank + gap)
trim to length, hold clump on top of hook
2 soft loops right behind hook eye; pull tight but don’t let hair spin
lash stub ends of hair down, try to create a smooth thread head; a little Crazy Glue doesn’t hurt here
cover hook shank with thread (makes it easier to control body torque)
cut another clump of elk hair; clean, stack and measure for length (shank + gap - head)
2 soft loops at back side of head; hair will roll somewhat around body, that’s fine
wrap back to create 1st segment, crossing over top of body, if possible
return to initial body tie-in point, maintaining segmentation, and smooth butts; as it turned out, the Flymaster thread’s a bit thick, I probably could have used UTC 140
pull hair at head up
and back over top
a few firm wraps to create head; if you measured everything properly, wing and tail should be about the same length (looks like the blind squirrel hit an acorn here)
add leg near
and far
whip finish, brush with Sally, trim legs to length and you’re done
Very nice tie, Scott! I find myself going back to those first patterns (when I started tying in the early 90’s) more and more. The Madame X, X-caddis, Turk’s Tarantula, etc). As you said, effective and fun to tie. Thanks for posting - great photo’s!
