Dry-fly hackle To taste (black/purple colorway) (1 feather)
Elk hair Bleached elk hair (small bunch, wing)
Super glue (Zap-A-Gap) (body)
Head cement (finish)
How to tie it
Place a TMC 9300 size 12 hook in the vise, start black thread behind the eye leaving a small gap of bare shank up front, and lay a smooth thread base.
Dub a slim rope of purple Ice Dub and wrap a level body from behind the eye back to the bend (down to the barb), then wind back up to a point even with the hook point, keeping it even.
Cut a strip of black 2mm foam as wide as the gap between the hook point and shank; trim it slightly longer than the hook at both ends, taper one end to a point and leave the other square. Tie the foam in on top at the rear with a couple of securing wraps so the pointed end just projects past the bend.
Dub a little more purple Ice Dub, carry it over the top of the tie-in and wrap forward to build the body, filling the small gap just behind the eye, then run a drop of superglue along the body for durability.
Pull the square end of the foam forward over the top of the body, keeping it centered; with a couple of loose wraps then pulling up and down, lock it down behind the eye so it forms a foam back sitting on top of the shank.
Tie in a dry-fly hackle by its stem in the groove right at the front, dull side up, and sweep it slightly to the near side out of the way.
Clean and stack a small bunch of bleached elk hair; tie it in as a wing so the tips extend just past the end of the foam, take a couple of wraps up through the hair and jump the thread in front so the hair stands up like a parachute post.
Wind the hackle around the base of the standing elk hair parachute-style, keeping tension, secure it with the thread in front, and trim out the stem.
Lift the thread and whip finish beneath the hackle, then trim the standing elk-hair butts down close to the top of the hackle to form the wing.
Run a drop of head cement down through the wing and hackle base to lock the hair, hackle and thread together, and trim away any stray butts.