Tying instructions for Mutant Zak/Baby Bugger

From one of last years fly swaps...... Very good fly for stillwaters as well as rivers. Soft hackle gives lots of inherent movement!

Materials
• Size 10 or 12 nymph wet fly hook. I use a grip 12003
• 3mm brass or tungsten bead
• Purple kreinik metallics medium (#16) braid code 026 for tail and body flash.
• Olive or brown partridge feathers for hackle stripped on one side.
• Black tying thread
• Peacock herl
• Black marabou

Tying instructions:



1. De-barb hook and slide on 3mm brass bead.



2. Start thread and wind back to above where the barb used to be. Tie in tail of marabou pinched to length required(Do not trim the marabou with scissors, it looks very unnatural). The above fly has a rather large tail, the length of the tail can be adjusted (ie can be pinched shorter) on the water according to personal preference. Then tie in two strands of purple flash removed from the braid(not visible here) on each side of the tail. Then tie in two more long single strands removed from the kreinik braid, and two peacock herls as in the picture.



3. Twist the peacock herl and the braid together to form a rope and wind forward, tie the rope off with 3 turns. DO NOT TRIM THE TAG END! Then tie in the prepared partridge hackle with the bend of the feather facing away from the shank. Then form a thorax with the tag end of the peaock herl and braid rope. Tie off behind the bead and trim. Then wind the hackle forward for 2 or 3 turns. Tie off, trim tag end and whip finish the fly. Head cement can be applied to the thread wraps to make the fly more durable.



4.The finished fly. Note the flash in the tail!
This fly has proven itself, particularly at lakenvlei (in the western cape), bass, trout and yellows also love em!