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This fly has stood the test of time and has been on this web site since 2005. Over the last 10 or so years it has been my 'go to' fly when fishing to sighted fish or prospecting the shores of Lake Jindabyne particularly around our home village of Kalkite.

The medium weight of the TMC 3769 hook is heavy enough to ensure that the fly doesn't float but still allows the fly to be light enough to cover sighted fish with because it lands softly and sinks slowly which can be a real bonus for spooky fish.

It's also a handy fly to include in a loch team when the midge and damsels feeders fire up in nearby Lake Eucumbene.

I am not sure what trout take it as but it's very buggy looking in the water and suggestive of a nymph, small fish or even a stick caddis.

One of the most important things to remember when tying this fly is not to overdress it ... make sure you can see a gap between the two wings even when the rabbit fur is dry and fluffed out.

Materials

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns from the 95% position to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Add only enough weight ti ensure that the fly doesn't float... just 3 to 5 turns of .015mm lead toward the eye of the hook should be sufficient. Options to add weight to a fly Tie in an under-tail of just 4 or 5 red hackle fibres.

B	Tie in a substantial over-tail of possum tail hair and bind the butt ends along the top of the hook shank to form an under-body. The finished tail should be around as long as the shank of the hook. Trim the possum fur butt ends off at an angle at about the 45% position so there wont be an obvious ridge at the front of the under-body. Select 2 or 3 peacock herl, depending on the quality of the herl and the size of the fly and tie them in toward the front of the under-body. If you hold the herl above the hook as you wind back to the bend of the hook the tied in herl will be neatly positioned on top of the shank of the hook.

C	Form the herl and the thread into a herl rope. Roping peacock herl

D	Wind the herl rope 1/4 of the way up the hook shank. Unwind the herl rope down to where it meets the hook shank and tie the herl off but do not trim the excess herl.

E	Using the thread which was unwound from the herl rope tie in the first of two wings. I have used a bunch of rabbit fur taken from a zonker strip and have pinched the longer guard fibres off between my nail and thumb so to leave a fuller wing of rabbit fur. If you don't pinch out the tips of the guard hairs the wing will be wispy at the tip. Re-form the herl rope.

F	Wind the herl rope forward just a little past the half way mark of the hook shank. Unwind the herl rope again down to where it meets the hook shank and tie the herl off but do not trim the excess herl. Using the thread which was unwound from the herl rope tie in a second wing in the same as the first wing. Re-form the herl rope and take just enough wraps of the herl rope to cover where the second wing was tied in and to progress the herl rope body to just a little past the three quarter way mark of the hook shank. Unwind the herl rope again down to where it meets the hook shank and tie the herl off but do not trim the excess herl.

G	Turn the hook over in the vice and at the 95% position tie in a beard 4 or 5 red hackle fibres.

H	Trim away the butt end of the red hackle fibres. Turn the fly right way up in the vice. Re-form the herl rope and take a couple of final wraps of the herl rope over where the red hackle beard is tied in and the eye of the hook. Unwind the herl rope again down to where it meets the hook shank and tie the herl off and this time trim away the excess herl. Build up a neat cone shaped thread head and whip finish. Varnish the head of the fly Neat heads

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