Hook Curved-shank nymph hook (TMC 3761 or similar), #8-14 (tied on a #10)
Thread Tan 8/0
Materials
Mink guard hairs (tail). Mallard flank is the original Natural gray mallard flank (A small pinch)
Iridescent body quill / tinsel rib (a modern addition) Copper (silver or pearl mylar also work) (One strand)
Mink underfur dubbing Natural gray muskrat dubbing (A generous noodle, fuzzy, not tight)
Mink guard hairs (throat) Natural gray deer belly hair (A small pinch)
Mallard flank (wing) Natural or tan mallard flank (One small feather, tied Zug Bug style and clipped short)
How to tie it
Mount the hook and lay a tan thread base back to the bend.
Nip a small clump of hair from the mink pelt, pinch out the underfur and set it aside for dubbing, then tie the guard hairs in as a tail about a hook gap long.
Tie in the iridescent copper body quill at the base of the tail for the rib.
Blend the reserved underfur between your fingers until there are no lumps, then spin it onto the thread as a loose, fuzzy noodle (a rotary vise makes quick work of this) and wrap the body forward, leaving room at the front for the throat and wing.
Rib the body forward with five or six evenly spaced turns of the copper quill for segmentation, tie off and trim.
Brush the body out hard with a dubbing brush or velcro stick until it is thoroughly fuzzy. The picked-out fibers read as gills.
Turn the hook upside down in the vise, pinch the underfur off another small bunch of guard hairs, measure the throat to about the hook point, and tie it in under the shank. Keep the eye clear.
Turn the hook back over and select a small mallard flank feather. Cut the butt away where the stem thins, tie it in flat on top as a Zug Bug style wing, then trim it short over the thorax.