Lay about ten wraps of 0.015 lead-free wire on the size 12 1X long nymph hook. Start the brown thread, build a dam behind the wire, take the thread over it to the front, and bring it back to the tail position.
Take eight to ten fibres of Mottled hen or other soft hackle (the tyer uses the same pheasant feather he ties the legs from) and bind them in as a tail about one hook gap long. After a couple of wraps check the bunch is still centred on top, then lock it in and trim the curly butts.
Catch in the Gold or copper, size brassie rib and bind it back to the start of the tail.
Wax the thread well and dub the Tan opossum dubbing, or buggy dubbing mix into a tapered abdomen. The opossum is slippery, so after roughly every two turns re-tighten the noodle.
Wind the wire rib forward over the abdomen, bind it off and break it away. The guard hairs can be left standing for a buggy look; the rib holds them in.
Dub a straight Brown dubbing thorax over the front part of the shank. If the eye is getting crowded, pull the dubbing back and bind it tighter to give a better base for the legs.
Cut a slip from the Pheasant hackle, snip a small notch out of the centre, and lay it over the top of the thorax. Take a medium-tight wrap or two and check that the legs fall evenly down both sides; shorten them if they look long, and trim any fibre standing over the top. Add another tight wrap or two and cut the butts as close as you can.
Take the thread straight back to the eye, then wrap a ramp back up over the butts to form the head.
Whip finish with four or five turns, and trim any stray fibres from the top.