Hook Superfly Heavy Wire Salmon (or your favorite steelhead iron
Thread Fl. pink FWN 210d
Materials
Eyes Dumbbell eyes brass or lead
Tail Black rabbit zonker
Body Pearl flat diamond braid
Rib Medium gold oval tinsel
Collar Black rabbit cross-cut or zonker
Collar Silver Dr. Blue schlappen
Head Thread
How to tie it
Seat the brass Dumbbell eyes on top of the shank, set back from the hook eye by roughly one eye-width-plus (not hard against it), with cross wraps; every few turns pull the thread tight. Then wind a base layer of thread back to the hook point.
Measure a Black rabbit zonker strip at a little more than one shank length (taper the tip if you like). Bind it in at the hook point, wrapping down over both the fur and the leather so it cannot pull out.
Tie in a short length of Medium gold oval tinsel along the near side of the shank and bind it back to the tail tie-in point.
Tie in the Pearl flat diamond braid alongside the shank the same way and add a half hitch. Wrap the braid forward in touching turns to just behind the eyes and snip the excess. The Fl. pink thread underbody shows through the pearl braid and sets its colour, so keep that thread base even.
Rib forward with the oval tinsel in 5-7 evenly spaced turns (Darren keeps it an odd number), tie off behind the body and snip.
For the first collar, tie in the Black rabbit cross-cut or zonker strip upside down so the hair flows back when wrapped. Take about two turns up to behind the eyes and secure, trapping as little hair as you can. Snip the leather and take a couple of wraps to tidy the tag.
Stroke the fibers back from the tip of the Silver Dr. Blue schlappen, tie it in by the bare tip, fold it back and secure, then snap the tip off. Rake the fibers back and palmer several turns for a collar. Wrap the last turn a little forward, then wrap thread back over the stem and fiber bases to tame the collar and lock the stem so it cannot unwind on a tooth or snag. Trim the excess.
Whip finish the head and coat with UV resin (or head cement) for durability.