Nymph · Stillwater · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version
BCFlyguys
Hook Pro Tier jig hook
Materials
Head Turner bead Matte olive head turner bead (1)
Micro pine squirrel zonker Olive rabbit zonker strip (Tail plus a piece for the collar)
UV Straggle chenille, 5mm Olive uv straggle chenille mm (Body)
Mirage flash (saltwater) or opal tinsel Opal mirage tinsel medium (One strip (wing case))
How to tie it
Seat a matte olive Head Turner bead on a Pro Tier jig hook and take the thread into the bend. Shiny olive or chartreuse beads work equally well. The bead colour is where you tune the fly.
Tie the micro pine squirrel zonker in what looks like backwards, because it is: the fly rides hook point up, so flipping the tail over means it sits the right way once inverted. The hook riding up is also what makes it weedless.
Tie in 5mm UV Straggle and wrap it forward, leaving about a bead length of space behind the bead. If your thread jumps to the wrong side of the hook, spin the bobbin in the direction you want the thread to go before you pick it up.
Lay a strip of opal Mirage flash underneath and straighten it. This comes over the top later as a flashback.
Build the collar with a dubbing loop: prep a short piece of squirrel strip, put it in the loop, cut the hide away and spread the fur out. There are tools that make this easier if you struggle with it, and the collar is the only genuinely fiddly part of the fly.
Spin the loop and wrap it like a hackle, sweeping fibres back with each turn, then tie off and sweep everything down and back before pulling the flash over and locking it with wraps front and back.
Whip finish and trim the tail to length. A good trick: tie the tail extra long, trim it after tying in, and the offcut is exactly the right size for the collar.