Tying thread (body reinforcement) Black thread (Two strands, taken from a short loop)
Calf tail (wing) White calf body hair (A small to medium tuft)
Dry fly hackle Brown hackle (One feather, five or more turns)
How to tie it
Start black thread in the front half of the shank and take it back to the start of the bend.
Tie in a narrow yellow duck quill slip as a tail. Keep it on the short side, the pattern is often tied with a tail that is too long for a dry fly. And bind the butts forward with a few loose wraps to build up the body slightly.
Tie in three strands of peacock herl by the tips at the base of the tail (catch them in an inch or two back from the brittle tips, then break the tips off).
Form a short thread loop at the tie-in point, park the two loop strands off to the side with a magnet, and wrap the peacock forward with the thread running between the strands to hold them together. Stop a little short of two-thirds of the shank and secure with two or three wraps, then trim.
Counter-wrap the two thread strands forward over the herl body as a reinforcing rib, secure and trim. This is how you strengthen a peacock body on a dry fly without adding wire.
Stack a small to medium tuft of white calf tail, measure it a little past the bend (shorter than the tail), and tie it in with a pinch wrap, checking after two wraps. Add more wraps working rearward to lock it in, then trim the butts at an angle to keep the eye clear.
Take the thread back up in front of the wing.
Tie in a brown dry fly hackle, stripping a little from the side that will wrap closest to the hook first, and take five or more turns for a heavily hackled fly.
Hold the hackle with two wraps, pull all the barbs back and take a few wraps to clear room, then whip finish before the barbs spring forward. Trim the thread and excess feather, check the eye is clear, and cement.