Hook 2X long nymph hook, #14-18 (size 16 most common)
Thread Black 70 denier
Materials
Bead Silver bead (2.8 mm brass, sized to hook)
Lead-free wire n/a (About 10 wraps of 0.015)
Opossum guard hair (or squirrel) Dyed purple opossum dubbing (Small tuft for the tail)
Opossum dubbing (or squirrel) Dyed purple opossum dubbing (Enough for a buggy body)
Wire Black wire (Small, one strand)
How to tie it
Slide a 2.8 mm silver brass bead onto the 2X-long nymph hook, then add about ten wraps of 0.015 lead-free wire and jam them up into the back of the bead to lock it in place.
Start black thread behind the weight, build a small dam to hold the wraps, cover them, and run the thread back to the bend.
Pluck a small tuft of long purple opossum guard hairs, pull out the excess underfur and the longest strays, and even the tips by hand (this hair will not stack).
Tie the tail in at the bend about one body length long using two pinch wraps, check the length, then bind the butts forward with medium and then tight wraps up to the weight to smooth the underbody.
Tie in small black wire at the bend for the rib. Plain thread or 4X tippet works just as well; the rib is for durability, not flash.
Wax the thread and dub a thick, shaggy noodle of purple opossum. Dub the body forward about halfway, then reload and dub the rest up to the bead, keeping it deliberately buggy.
Counter-wrap the black wire forward with four or five turns to trap the loose fibers, tie it off behind the bead and spin it until it breaks.
Whip finish behind the bead with two three-turn whip finishes (a drop of superglue first if there is room).
Trim any stray guard hairs crowding the eye, and pick out the dubbing along the belly with a bodkin or dubbing brush to make it buggier.