Collar Natural case (Hare guard fur in a dubbing loop)
How to tie it
Start the yellow Sumo 50 den behind the eye and wind back to the bend, yellow under a natural hare body warms the whole fly once it is wet.
Tie in a small bunch of Coq de Leon Rubion barbs as a tail about a shank long, and catch in the gold tinsel at the same point.
Dub a slim body of natural hare guard fur forward to the 65% mark, then rib with four or five open turns of gold tinsel. The rib is structural here, holding the coarse guard hairs down so the body cannot unravel.
Load a dubbing loop with hare guard fur brushed so the tips run the same way, spin it into a tight rope and wind three or four turns as a collar at the 75% mark. This is the whole idea: hare guard fur replaces rooster hackle, a French solution from when good hackle was scarce and expensive.
Stroke the collar fibres back, take a few thread turns in front to set the angle, and whip finish a small head.
Trim any fibres straying under the hook if you want it higher. Fish it dry on fast water, and when it sinks leave it. It goes on working as a wet fly or emerger, which is the second reason the pattern has lasted.