Salmon/Steelhead · Streamer · Steelhead · Advanced · 1 version
Joe Penich
Hook Talon salmon hook, 2/0
Thread White, black for the head Semperfli Nano Silk 18/0
Materials
Golden pheasant crest Natural pheasant tail fibers (tail)
Ice Dub Purple ice dub (rear body, split thread)
Teal, dyed, folded Black teal dyed folded (2 collars)
Crosscut rabbit strip Black rabbit strip (split thread collar)
Ice Dub Fluorescent red ice dub (split thread collar)
Heron hackle, folded (1)
Guinea hackle, dyed, folded Pink hen hackle (1)
Finn raccoon strip Pink ears (split thread collar)
Finn raccoon strip Black ostrich herl (split thread collar)
Finn raccoon strip Purple arctic fox (split thread collar)
Crinkle flash Olive crinkle flash fine (folded on all four sides)
Fox fur with hide attached Blue macaw (top wing)
Fox fur with hide attached Orange permanent marker (bottom wing)
Grizzly hackle tips (2, top)
Rubber legs Orange black barred rubber legs (underneath, left and right)
Jungle cock Natural jungle cock (2, cheeks)
How to tie it
Start Nano Silk 18/0 at the return eye of the 2/0 Talon and wrap a base along the straight portion even with the point. Secure a golden pheasant crest on top with edge-to-edge wraps and cement it, since a crest tail on a fly that gets swung hard needs the reinforcement.
Spin purple Ice Dub in a split thread, brush it out, and wrap the rear of the hook with hackle pliers, pulling the fibres back with your fingers after each turn. Brushing before wrapping is the point of the whole fly: it turns every material into a soft hackle.
Wrap a folded black-dyed teal collar in front, then a split-thread collar of black crosscut rabbit, then fluorescent red Ice Dub.
Tie in the folded heron hackle by the tip and wrap it edge to edge in front of the dubbing, then a folded pink guinea in front of that, folding the stem back and securing before you brush it out.
Build the fur section in three split-thread collars, one in front of the other: pink Finn raccoon, black Finn raccoon, then purple Finn raccoon, brushing each out thoroughly before wrapping.
Fold a strand of olive crinkle flash over the thread on each of the four sides, then set a piece of blue fox fur with the hide attached on top and orange fox fur on the bottom, trimming the hides flush.
Wrap a second folded black teal collar in front of the fur, add two grizzly hackle tips on top, orange black-barred rubber legs underneath left and right, and jungle cock on each side. Cover the white head with black thread, whip finish and cement.