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For a long time I simply sized up my trout stimulator and used them on bass. I grew out of the habit of tying them on as I always had a feeling that they just didn't offer bass a big enough morsel and even though they were bigger than anything I would use for trout they still landed too softly ... not announcing their presence to the bass.

A while back I got round to addressing the problems and after a reasonable amount of experimentation came up with this version of a stimulator which ticks all the boxes.

Process

A	Wind thread along the hook shank in touching turns and return the thread 2/3 of the way up the hook shank. Understanding hooks Tie in a tail of deer hair that extends behind the hook a distance equal to about the length of the shank of the hook and so that the butt ends are tied down as under-body. Tie it in very tightly but only to the middle of the hook shank. Deer hair uses in fly tying

B	Tie in a length of body chenille. Apply a couple of drops of super glue to the are between the 2/3 and 1/2 position to ensure that the tail and the tie in of the body chenille are permanent.

C	Using the fingers of your left hand pull the tail and the body chenille into place along the top of the hook shank and tie them into place with wraps of thread that start firm but progressively get less firm as they approach the bend of the hook. Repeat the process as you take the thread back to the 2/3 position. If the wraps of thread are too firm at the bend of the hook the deer hair tail will flare out making the tail look more like a feather duster.

D	Wind the body chenille forward with firm but not tight touching turns to the 2/3 position. Tie the chenille off with a couple of tight wraps of thread and trim the excess. Take the thread forward to half way between the body and the eye of the hook.

E	Stack a bunch of deer hair and tie it in half way between the body and the eye of the hook.a hackle directly in front of the body. Down wings Select a dry fly hackle with barbules at least as long as the gape of the hook and tie it in half way between the body and the eye of the hook. Dry fly hackle Put a drop of super glue on the tie in of the hackle and deer hair to ensure that neither the deer hair or the hackle will work loose .

F	Tying in the deer hair and the hackle further build up a neat cone shaped bed of thread in the gap between the eye of the hook and the body finishing with the thread just behind the eye of the hook.

G	Take two turns of hackle directly in front of the body and then Palmer the hackle back toward the eye of the hook in turns that are just separate enough for the red thread bed to show through. Palmering hackles Lock the hackle into place behind the eye of the hook and trim the surplus hackle with a blade rather than scissors. By using a blade you wont inadvertently trim away any of the hackles barbukes. Build up a neat head whip finish and trim the thread. Neat thread heads Varnish or superglue the head.

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