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This fly is designed to be fished very slowly and is one of my favorite targeting flies for barra in Awoonga dam. It's not designed to represent any particular bait fish but it does have a shape, form and function similar to many of the little fish that barra target.

This is a big fly with the #4/0 version being around 13cm long. The only weight it has is the hook, the epoxy on the head and single 5mm split shot on the tip of the bib and consequently it's a relatively easy fly to cast.

I generally fish it on an intermediate line or fact sink line and fish it a number of different ways including:

• As a prospecting fly work the fly over and past where fish are holding or are expected to hold and retrieve at a range of jerky retrieves at various speed and with the occasional stop.
• For sighted fish put in clean cast which is inside the fishers current swim path so when the fish sees the fly it will have to make a slight change of direction, instinctively taking it a little out of its comfort zone. The tendency of fish once they have made that change is to take the fly much quicker than they would had the fly been directly in their path. As soon as you think the fish is in range rip the fly in as fast as you can strip or rolly poly. It's important to keep your line under control at all times as strikes are always hard and mostly followed by blistering runs and you have to be able to clear the stripped line and get the fight back on the reel as soon as possible.
• It also fishes well around structure such as rocks and sunken timber where I like to count it down and retrieve it very slowly with strips of around 30cm puntuated with either or both pauses or faster strips. In either case the bib helps the fly jump over some of the snags.

Materials for trailing hook

The first part of the process is to attach the bib to the articulated shank.

B	Continue winding the thread forward to just behind the front eye of the articulated shank in tight touching turns.

C	Apply superglue to the top of the thread toward the front eye of the articulated shank. Place the bib squarely on top of the shank with the bib and the down turned front eye of the articulated shank created a net < with plenty of room to tie the finished fly onto your leader. Lock the shank into position with tight wraps of thread.Check that the bib is sitting squarely on the shank and at a 90 degree angle to the rear eye of the articulated shank. Tie the thread of with a couple of half hitches and coat the knot with super glue or varnish.

The next part of the process is to connect the articulated shank and the spine support to the articulated shank and the trailing hook.

D	Take the articulated shank out of the vice and attache the trailing hook taking care to ensure that that both the bib and the gape of the hook are facing down. Understanding hooks Put the articulated shank bake into the vice.

E	Put a base of thread on the rear part of the articulated shank and then tie in a length of stiff fluorocarbon along the top of the shank.

F	Take the shank out of the vice and put the hook into the vice in its place.

G	Fold the fluorocarbon spine material over the top of the rear eye of the shank and along the top of the front third of the trailing hook. Check that the fluorocarbon spine is sitting straight and lock it in with firm wraps of thread. Apply a coat of super glue along the spine to further lock it in that position. Understanding hooks

H	Once the super glue has hardened trim away the excess fluorocarbon. Wind the thread in tight touching turns to directly above the tip of the point of the hook.

Your now ready to dress the tail and body of the fly. It's important not to overdress the fly so only tie in bunches of around 20 strands of flash blend for each of the 6 tie ins of flash blend for the tail and body of the fly.

A	Select around 20 strands of back colour flash blend and tie that in above the point of the hook with tight wraps of thread with half facing forward and half facing back. Dealing with long strands of synthetic materials

B	Fold the forward facing back colour flash blend over the top of the rear facing back colour flash blend and lock that in with tight wraps of thread. Turn the fly over 180 degrees/ upside down in the vice. Select around 20 strands of belly colour flash blend and tie that in on the other side of the hook shank with tight wraps of thread with half facing forward and half facing back.

E	Fold the forward facing back colour flash blend over the top of the rear facing back colour flash blend and lock that in above opposite the last with tight wraps of thread. Take the thread forward about half the remaining distance to the eye of the hook. Select another 20 strands of back coloured flash blend and tie that in half the remaining distance to the eye of the hook with tight wraps of thread with half facing forward and half facing back.

G	Fold the forward facing belly colour flash blend over the top of the rear facing back colour flash blend and lock that in on the other side of the hook shank with tight wraps of thread. Stroke all the flash blend back, and trim away any excess flash blend, to forma neat body. Taking care not to take the thread too far forward and intruding on the free movement of the fluorocarbon spine at the eye, and just behind the eye of the hook tie in a couple of double hitches. Apply a coat of super glue or head cement to that knot and trim away the excess thread.

The penultimate stage in the process is to dress the head of the fly and to bring the whole fly together one contiguous bait fish imitation.

H	Tie the thread in just in front of the rear eye of the articulated shank. Select around 20 strands of back colour flash blend and tie that in just in front of the rear eye of the articulated shank with tight wraps of thread with half facing forward and half facing back.

I	Fold the forward facing back colour flash blend over the top of the rear facing back colour flash blend and lock that in with tight wraps of thread. Turn the fly over 180 degrees/ upside down in the vice. Select around 20 strands of belly colour flash blend and tie that in on the other side of the hook shank with tight wraps of thread with half facing forward and half facing back.

J	Fold the forward facing belly colour flash blend over the top of the rear facing belly colour flash blend and lock that in above the point of the hook with tight wraps of thread. Take the thread forward to just behind the front eye of the articulated shank. Select another 20 strands of belly colour flash blend and tie that in one third of the distance to the eye of the hook with tight wraps of thread with half facing forward and half facing back.

K	Select another 50 strands of belly colour flash blend, about twice the length of the gape of the hook.

L	Tie that short thicker bunch of belly coloured flash blend on top of the previous bunch of belly coloured flash blend. Turn the fly over 180 degrees/ right side up in the vice. Select around 20 strands of belly colour flash blend and tie that in on the other side of the hook shank with tight wraps of thread with half facing forward and half facing back.

M	Select another 50 strands of back colour flash blend, about twice the length of the gape of the hook.

O	Tie that short thicker bunch of back coloured flash blend on top of the previous bunch of belly coloured flash blend. Take the thread forward to just behind the eye of the hook and tie if off with a couple of half hitches. Trim the excess thread away and apply head cement or super glue to the half hitches. Once that head cement or super glue has dried carefully stroke all 4 layers of flash blend that are tied in behind the front eye of the articulated shank to form a neat head on the fly.

P	I generally slide a 'hose' O ring over the front of the fly to hold everything in place.

Q	Mix up a small amount of clear 5 minute epoxy and using a tooth pick spread that over the front half of the head. Rotate the fly in the vice to ensure that the epoxy is evenly disperses. Just before the epoxy goes off position an eye on each side of the fly.

The final steps in tying this fly is two fold.

R	Mix up a second batch of clear 5 minute epoxy. Put a small drop in the split of a 5mm split shot and affix that to the middle of the leading edge of the bib. Apply a further coat of the epoxy over the first coat and the eyes of the fly. Rotate the fly in the vice until the epoxy goes off to ensure that the epoxy is evenly disperses.

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