Anti-static bag strip Black ostrich herl (One narrow strip)
UV resin or head cement Clear uv resin (Thin coat)
How to tie it
Slide a black nickel bead onto a Daiichi 1760 and start black thread behind it. The 1760's curve gives the fly the humped pupa posture that makes a chironomid read as a chironomid rather than a straight nymph.
Tie in a short length of Uni-Stretch right behind the bead and leave the tag pointing forward, that becomes the white gills, and doing it first means you never have to fight for room in a crowded head later.
Bind in black wire and then a narrow strip of anti-static bag, running the thread back to the bend and building a gentle taper as you go. The taper is what gives the finished body its abdomen-to-thorax swell.
Wrap the anti-static bag forward in touching turns to just behind the bead, then tie off and trim. ASB is the whole point of the pattern. Wet, it goes translucent and gassy-looking, exactly like a pupa carrying air under its skin.
Counter-rib the black wire forward, aiming for seven to eight evenly spaced segments, and tie off behind the bead. Counter-wrapping locks the fragile bag strip down so a trout's teeth cannot unzip the body.
Whip finish, trim the Uni-Stretch gills to a stub just in front of the bead, and coat the body with resin or cement so the ASB shines and the fly survives a long day under an indicator.