Fly Tying Group
Fly of the Month

Step 1. Cut a strip of closed-cell foam 4 mm wide, 4 cm long, and 2 mm thick. Mount it on a needle, pinching it at the midpoint along both length and width. As thread, I use 25D power thread, a transparent GSP material that is strong, durable, and can be colored with markers.

Step 2. Make two turns of thread around the foam, perpendicular to its axis, creating a groove that will hold the tails of the extended body. For tails, I use two moose rump hairs, but two turkey flat barbules also work perfectly.

Step 3. Form the extended body with evenly spaced wraps, increasing the spacing as you move from the needle tip backward. Aim for an average body length of about 10 mm.

Step 4. Color the body with waterproof markers. The underside should be a lighter yellow-brown, while the top should be shaded in a darker tone.

Step 5. For the hook, I use a Fulling Mill Grub Hook designed for Czech nymphs. Any medium- to light-wire grub hook will work. Use size 10 or 8, as this is a large attractor pattern. Slide the lower foam strip onto the hook bend and place the hook in the vise.

Step 6. Create the final body segment by wrapping the two foam strips together 2–3 mm in front of where the hook pierces the foam. Trim the excess foam and secure everything with several firm wraps. Again, I’m using 25D GSP, which can be marker-colored if needed.

Step 7. Tie in a natural or light brown CDC feather on top of the extended body. The CDC tips should reach the end of the tails.

Step 8. Trim the excess CDC.

Step 9. Tie in a second CDC feather of the same color, or slightly darker, by the tip.

Step 10. Make two full wraps around the hook shank and secure the feather with thread.

Step 11. Burn a pair of wings using a plastic fiber wing material placed in a wing-burner tool. Other materials such as glued mallard flank also work well.

Step 12. Tie in the first wing on top of the CDC.

Step 13. Tie in the second wing directly above the first.

Step 14. Tie in a small bunch of moose body hair on top of the chamois. Mixing different hair types adds movement and complexity to the fly.

Step 15. Create a dubbing loop with a proper tool (do not split the thread, as the twist will not be strong enough for hair). Insert a mix of chamois and moose in the same proportion used for the wing. Position the dubbing loop at the hook eye and leave the bobbin hanging above the wing.

Step 16. Wrap the dubbing loop backward from the eye toward the wing, constantly freeing any trapped fibers.

Step 17a. Prepare a 2 mm foam element shaped as in the reference image and tie it in at the front of the wing. The foam should extend over the wing by about one-quarter of its total length.

Step 17b. The foam should extend over the wing by about one-quarter of its total length.

Step 18. With the thread still in position, tie in four thin rubber legs—two per side. Use very slender rubber to maximize movement on the water.

Step 19. Trim the legs to length and color the foam element with brownish markers.

Step 20. If desired, add a sighter. Many materials work, but the traditional Italian style uses four small foam strips (about 1×1 mm). Wrapping and cinching the foam causes the sighter to stand upright automatically.

Step 21. Make a single wrap of thread forward toward the hook eye and form a second thorax ring by cinching the thread into the foam at the midpoint of the excess piece. Whip-finish. Trim the sighter to the desired length and the fly is complete.