These four photos show the steps to trimming a mess of deer hair into a deer hair diver. First photo is the deer hair “fluff” (as my 8-year old calls it) after it has been brushed and then steamed. Second photo is rough cuts done with a scissor to get the general shape of the bass bug. Third photo is the nose after it’s been cut with scissors and shaped with a double-edged razor. Fourth and final photo is the finished diver.
Same fly, in the previous photos the weedguard monofilament is hidden by my hand. The weedguard is the last thing I tie in once the trimming and shaping is completed. I use a small square cut from a clear plastic bag as a “hackle guard” to clear any hair that could be left around the eye of the hook. I re-start the thread and then secure the weed guard. The plastic bag “hackle guard” can then be ripped off.
It’s great for bass bugs. For smaller flies like Goddard Caddis or Muddlers I still use the Brassie. I switched to the Fugly after an injury. My hand slipped off the Brassie as I was packing a clump on a big bug. I got lucky the hook point did not end up in my thumb but I ended up with a good scrape across my thumbnail and top of my thumb.