Streamer · Stillwater · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version
BCFlyguys
Hook Curved nymph hook, 10
Thread Black Danville 70 denier
Materials
Bead, 1/8 inch (1)
Marabou Black marabou (tail, about a shank length)
Diamond Dub Black dubbing (dubbing loop body)
How to tie it
Slide a 1/8 inch bead onto a size 10 curved nymph hook, dress the shank and bring the thread back up behind the bead.
Pull marabou straight off the stem rather than cutting it so you have no stiff stem running through the tail, line the tips up and trim the butts even. Spin the bobbin so the thread jumps backwards towards your fingers before you tie the marabou in, which makes catching a soft material like this far easier.
Bind the marabou down to the bend, take a couple of wraps underneath to prop the tail up, and pinch it off at about a shank length.
Stop short of the very back and tie in a dubbing loop, then give the bobbin a spin around the loop to help close it off and bring the thread up to the bead.
Fill the loop with black Diamond Dub, keeping it even along the whole length. Less is more with a dubbing loop; a jammed loop spins into a thick rope instead of a fine, breathing one. Peel a little away if it bunches.
Spin the loop and wrap it forward to the bead, tie it off with a few wraps over the top and a couple behind, then tuck the loose fibres in behind the bead. Add a little dubbing straight on the thread if there is a gap at the bead, then whip finish over a drop of superglue.
Brush the fly out hard. The reason to bother with the loop at all is durability: it lasts far longer than dubbing spun onto bare thread, and the brushed fibres flow back into the tail so you do not need flash.