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This is a very effective fly for fast water because it sinks fast and the placement of the lead shot gives the fly a propensity to ride point up reducing the incidence of snagging. It can be used on its own just to bounce along the bottom or to sink a second fly such as a second egg fly or unweighted nymph. The other really good thing is fish accept it readily.

I like to get three egg colours into each of my lead head egg flies. The fist colour id the lead head and I generally make them either yolk or red in colour. The second colour is the first bunch of glow bug yarn that I tie in and I make that a different colour to the head. The third colour is the balance of the glow bug yarn and the dominant colour for the body of the fly.

One of the advantages of this fly is that because the centre of gravity is so far forward and above the hook shank the fly tends to ride point up as in the second picture below.

Materials

Process

A	Wind the thread about 1/2 of the way down the shank, do a couple of half hitches, tie it off and trim the excess thread. Understanding hooks

B	Take a lead shot put a drop of super glue in the split, slide it onto the top of the hook shank and crimp it firmly onto the hook shank. I generally prepare several lead heads at a time.

C	Paint the lead shot either yolk or red colour. I use cheap coloured nail varnish and find that 2 coats is adequate.

D	Once the paint/varnish is dry re-tie the thread in directly beyond the lead shot. Build up a base of tight touching turns of thread on the next 1/4 of the hook shank and return the thread to directly behind the lead head.

E	Tie in a small bunch of the highlight colour of glow bug yarn along the top of the hook shank with equal amounts in front of and behind the tie in position. Try to take as few turns of thread as possible. With practice as long as you keep the pressure on the thread and rotate the fly in the opposite way you wind thread you will find that you can tie each bunch of glow bug yarn in with just one tight wrap of thread.

F	Whilst keeping pressure on the thread rotate the top of the hook away from you and tie in a larger clump of the dominant coloured glow bug yarn on one side of the hook shank. Whilst keeping pressure on the thread rotate the top of the hook hook roughly 180 degrees in the vice.

G	Tie a second large clump of the dominant coloured glow bug yarn on that side of the hook shank. You should not have any gaps between the clumps of glow bug yarn but if you do tie clumps into the gaps also. Whilst still retaining pressure on the thread take it forward through the glow bug yarn and close to the shank of the hook to behind the lead head. Take a couple of firm wraps of thread behind the lead head and then do two sets of multi hitches to tie of the thread. Trim the excess thread and using a bodkin point or tooth pick point apply a drop of glue to the multi hitched thread.

H	The fly should now look something like this.

I	Take the fly out of the vice and with a sharp pair of scissors trim the yarn into an egg shape and size. Hook ups, as opposed to strikes, are important to me so I try always to leave the point of the hook clear of the glow bug yarn egg body.

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