Tail Black hackle fibers overlaid with muskrat fur
Body Muskrat dubbing
Thorax Black ostrich herl
Throat/Legs Black hackle fibers
How to tie it
On a size 12 1x long, 1x strong wet fly hook, wrap 10 or 11 turns of .015 lead-free weight over about half the shank. Dam the thread behind the weight, move to the front and dam there too, then take the thread back to the bend.
Pull 10 or 12 fibers from a dark brown or black soft hackle, spade fibers if you have them, and tie them in at the bend a hook gap long. Bury the butts forward up to the weight and snip the excess.
Take a small clump of muskrat fur, pull the guard hairs out, and lay it over the hackle fibers at the same length. Catch it with a pinch wrap, check it, then lock it down with tighter wraps. The tail reads dark underneath with lighter muskrat over the top.
Snip the underfur off behind the tie-in and put a good bit of wax on the thread.
Cut a pinch of muskrat, pull out as many guard hairs as you can and roll it in the palm of your hand until you are left with mostly grey. Touch-dub a tight noodle, perhaps three inches long, and wrap the body forward to the front of the weight.
Catch in a black ostrich herl by its thick end, take it back to the front of the body leaving a little space, and wrap six or seven turns forward, each right in front of the last. Ostrich is thinner than peacock but less brittle. If the thorax comes out sparse, wrap back over it to fill it in.
Snip the herl off, sweep the fibers back, and pull or trim off any guard hairs still standing out of the body.
Turn the hook over and tie in about 15 black saddle hackle fibers as the throat, no longer than the hook point. Get them situated with a pinch wrap before you lock them in.
Build up extra thread wraps for a slightly bigger head, whip finish four or five turns, then finish with a good drop of head cement or UV resin and clean up any fuzz on the body.