Tail Natures Spirit Fish Hunter marabou, sculpin olive (1 feather)
Body Semperfli 15 mm Solid Chenille, medium golden olive (1 length)
Collar Hot orange marker or thread (1)
Glue Z-ment (generous)
Coating Solarez Bone Dry (on the whip finishes)
How to tie it
Slide the 3.5 mm Firehole slotted bead onto the Umpqua U660BL size 10 small side first, and set the hook so the slot sits up at the eye.
Start the Semperfli 6/0 behind the bead, take five to seven wraps down the shank and back up, seat the bead where you want it, then take about eight wraps back, drop down a little and build another four or five wraps to lock the bead in place.
Work the thread down the shank, minding the hook point, and trim the tag.
Prepare a sculpin olive marabou feather by pulling the tip out to remove the stem, which also helps the taper, then strip off the longest straggling fibres. The tail on this one is kept short because the fly reads as a blob rather than a leech.
Tie the marabou in at about one to one and a bit times the overall hook length, first with a couple of loose wraps then tight, trim the butts at an angle to help the body taper, and check the marabou has stayed on top of the shank.
Strip the core of the Semperfli 15 mm chenille bare, tie it in, and advance the thread behind the bead with a quick whip finish to hold it while you work.
Lay a generous coat of Z-ment along the shank so the body cannot travel.
Wrap the chenille forward with touching or very slightly spaced wraps at the rear, keeping it lighter there so nothing impedes the hook point, then two or three crowded turns in the gap between the last wrap and the tungsten bead to stack the material up.
Trap the chenille with a wrap behind, then take two or three wraps back down over that starting taper so the thread pulls the chenille rearwards, and trim the excess.
Stroke the fibres back, then build an orange collar, three-turn whip finish and a second three-turn whip finish on top to bulk it out.
Add Solarez Bone Dry to the whip finishes and cure, then stroke the fibres back once more, watching the hook point.