Hackle Grizzly or Brown Whiting High and Dry Rooster Cape
How to tie it
Start black UNI 6/0 on the Tiemco 5212 and stack a clump of deer or elk hair. Measure the tail about a quarter of the hook shank, trim the butts to length, and tie the clump in up by the head, wrapping the thread down the shank and back forward to smooth out the lumps.
Tie in the Red UNI Single Strand Floss where the tail is bound in. Pull the kinks and twists out of it as you wrap rearward, then wrap forward again over the body and capture it.
Stack more deer or elk hair for the wing and measure it so it reaches just past the body; trim to length. Take one loose wrap, then bite tight wraps down through the butt ends a few times so the hair cannot twist, and finish with tight wraps hard up against the base of the wing.
Fold the wing back and lock it out of the way with a scrap of lead wire.
Take the thread to the middle portion of the body and lay down several tight wraps, drawing the White McFlylon post up all at once. Creep up the post and back down a couple of times, adding wraps in front of and behind the base so it cannot twist or shift, and build it two to three hook-eye lengths high — taller than you would think.
Measure a Grizzly hackle against the post so the barbs reach back about half the length of the wing. Tie it in on the shank first with tight wraps, carry it to the post, then draw it together with the post, creep up and come back down.
Take the thread to just in front of the wing and bind a Grizzly Barred Rubber Leg on each side with a few tight wraps, then pull them clear and wrap the thread forward.
Gather the wing and all the legs together and stow them under the lead wire, taking a few extra turns this time.
Tie in three or four strands of Peacock Herl by the very tips and wrap a small ball of thorax, then capture the herl and trim it out.
Jump the thread to just behind the parachute post and let it hang. Start the hackle around the post — the first wrap is the trickiest — and work down the post, then hold the hackle aside, work the thread underneath as many fibers as you can, and trim out the stem.
Whip finish with a six-inch long-reach tool crept up underneath the post, ignoring the post as best you can, and trim the thread.
Undo the wire, refluff the legs, pull the wing up with a good yank, and trim the post tall enough to see. Pull all four legs down evenly and trim them, leaving the back pair longer than the front.