Hackle Dun, Grizzly or Brown Whiting Saddle or Neck Hackle
How to tie it
Start the Olive Dun UNI 8/0 about three eye-lengths back from the eye, tie a strand of Pearl Krystal Flash in along the near side and wrap back over it and the thread tag a little way around the bend.
Bring the thread forward and build a very slender thread body - resist the usual taper here, skinny is the point of this fly.
Rib the Krystal Flash forward through the body in evenly spaced turns and tie it off, then coat the body with Head Cement rather than UV resin, which weighs a dry fly down.
Tie a length of Dun Z-Lon in crosswise at the front edge of the body, a couple of turns one way and a couple the other, and square the spent wings to the shank; a slight rearward cant is fine and works in your favour.
Twist the two wings together to hold them clear, then build a prominent ball of BWO Superfine Dubbing mostly BEHIND the wings, finishing with a couple of figure-8 turns and bare thread in front. Stop with one-and-a-half to two eye-lengths of bare shank showing.
Tie an oversized hackle - a size up from the hook - into that bare space with the inside of the feather facing up, so it is already pointing the way it will wrap, then whip finish the olive thread off and cut it away.
Start the Grey 18/0 Nanosilk right over the top of that: the fine GSP anchors the hair wing tightly without a ton of bulk.
Clean and stack a small clump of Cow Elk, measure it one shank length from your thumbnail back to the bend, and hold it hard on top through two turns and one more tight turn, until tugging produces no more flare.
Sweep the elk butts and tips up together so the wing stands as a post, take a couple of parachute turns around its base, and pull the Z-Lon wings down out of the way - hackle pliers clipped into the material spring hold them there.
Wind the hackle four or five turns up the post, a little heavy, dropping the last turn back down toward the bottom; bring the thread up between the hackle and the hook to tie the feather off on the far side of the eye, then trim it out.
Sweep the hackle up and back, close your fingers under the hook, make a couple more turns behind the eye and whip finish the old way, under the wing.
Gather the elk butts into one bundle and bring the scissors down from above to trim them to a short stub, trim out any hackle facing too far down, square the spent Z-Lon wings off at the bend, and put a shot of head cement along the thread base.