Wing Barred lemon wood duck, tied upright and split
Hackle Light ginger hackle
How to tie it
Start the light yellow thread and lay a base back to the start of the bend. Use the same colour you want the body to be, because the thread is the body.
Stack 10 or 12 light elk body hairs and bind them in at the bend as a long, chunky tail with a couple of tight wraps. It will flare, so keep the bunch on top and add a couple of medium-tension wraps going rearward to settle the back down.
Pull extra thread from the bobbin and advance forward over the elk butts with loose wraps so they do not flare or spin. Switch to tight wraps at the point where the hackle will sit, snip the butts, and bury the ends with a few wraps.
Leave the thread a couple of eye-lengths behind the eye. Lick your fingers and roll a medium tuft of barred lemon wood duck to even the tips, then stand the tuft up against the hook and gauge it a shade taller than the hackle will be. Bind it with a couple of tight wraps, then take a few wraps in front of it to stand the clump upright.
Split the wing evenly with a bodkin or your fingers and lock the halves with about four figure-8 wraps between them, around 35 to 40 degrees of separation, not fully spent.
Move the thread to the middle of the body and catch in the yellow thread rib, which is heavier than the tying thread.
Build the body with the light yellow tying thread, wrapping back and forth over the rear of the shank until it is full and creamy. With 70 denier thread this takes a few minutes.
Spiral the yellow thread rib forward over the body and tie it off with a couple of extra wraps to secure it.
Back the thread up so there is room for three or four hackle turns behind the wing and one or two in front. Strip a few extra barbs from the side of the light ginger hackle stem that will sit closest to the hook so the first turn seats cleaner. Bind the stem in with plenty of wraps behind the wing and a couple in front, then bend the stem back and trim it.
Wrap the light ginger hackle four turns behind the wing and two in front, then catch it off.
Before snipping the excess, lick your fingers and sweep all the hackle back to clear room for the head. Whip finish quickly before the barbs spring forward, zigzagging the tool through without trapping any fibres, then snip the thread and trim the hackle stem.
Check the wings are still split, tidy any shaggy barbs crowding the eye, and add a drop of head cement.