This pattern offers great triggers and has proved itself many a time, especially on heavily pressured water where the fish had seen all the standard commercially available Woolly Buggers. It is not as glitzy as a Crystal Bugger, with just the right amount of sparkle under the CDC. This creates a very lifelike 3D effect trapping air bubbles. Tie a few in your favourite colours.

Recipe:

Hook: Standard Streamer Hook #6 - #12.
Thread: Colour to match the fly.
Tail Guard: Fishient Flouro Fiber.
Tail: Marabou.
Body: Ice dub.
Rib Copper wire.
Hackle: CDC

Step 1


Tie in a short bunch of Flouro Fiber, this will act as a tail guard preventing the marabou tail from fouling and is also a hot spot.

Step 2


Tie in a length of marabou, approximately the length of the hook shank and tag combined. Tie in the copper wire.

Step 3


Place the ice dubbing on the Petitjean jaws. I used chartreuse and black (VIVA), a great colour combination.

Step 4


If you don’t have a Petitjean clip, use a piece of hi density foam - a neat little trick showed to me by Albe Nel, the Petitjean Clip makes it easier though. The next step is to place the CDC on top of the Ice Dub and pushing it into the clip/foam.

Step 5


Here I have used both a black and chartreuse CDC feather. Grab it with the jaws and clip off the feather stems.

Step 6


Split your thread and insert the ice dub and CDC. Twist it into a dubbing loop. Twist the copper wire around the CDC/ice dub rope, this will make the fly more durable.

Step 7


Wrap the wire and CDC forward and tie off, stroke the fibers back after every wrap. Apply cement to the thread and whip finish.