Thread Fire orange (plus black for the head) 6/0-8/0 (70-140 denier)
Materials
Tail Natural light elk hair (small clump)
Rib Fine gold or silver wire (or matching), brassie (1 strand)
Abdomen hackle Brown rooster (Whiting/Metz) saddle (1 feather)
Abdomen Peacock herl with a red floss center band (3-4 herls + red floss)
Wing Natural light elk hair (1 stacked clump)
Thorax Peacock herl (Royal build) (3-4 herls)
Thorax hackle Grizzly rooster saddle (1 feather)
How to tie it
Lay a thread base with fire orange thread and tie in a short clump of stacked light elk hair at the bend for the tail, about a half to two-thirds shank length.
At the bend tie in a length of fine gold wire for the rib, then tie in a brown saddle hackle by its butt (shiny side forward) to be palmered later.
Tie in 3-4 peacock herls; wrap a short section of peacock as the rear abdomen, add a band of red floss in the middle, then a second short section of peacock so the abdomen reads as a Royal Coachman body (peacock-red-peacock). Tie off at the 60% point.
Palmer the brown hackle forward over the abdomen in 4-5 open turns, then counter-wrap the gold wire forward through the hackle in the opposite direction to lock it; tie off and clip wire and hackle tip.
At the 60% point tie in a clump of stacked light elk hair as a downwing, tips extending to about the end of the tail. Trim the butts at an angle.
Tie in a grizzly saddle hackle in front of the wing, then tie in and wrap 3-4 peacock herls to build the thorax up to just behind the eye.
Palmer the grizzly hackle forward through the thorax in 4-5 turns and tie off behind the eye.
Whip a small head; switch to black thread if you want a dark head, whip finish and cement.