Materials needed:
Hook Any standard dry fly hook
Thread Gray uni thread 8/0
Tail Brown and grizzly hackle fibers mixed
Body Natural muskrat dubbing
Hackle Brown and grizzly hackle
Wings Grizzly hen tips
Place the hook in the vise so the shank is horizontal.
Find 2 grizzly hen hackle tips to tie in as wings. They should be about the width of the hook gap, and the length of the hook shank. Place them back to back, or dull side to dull side.
Tie them in leaving enough room behind the eye.
Wrap your thread to the back.
Tie in your tail. About the length of the hook shank.
With dry flies, some people like to tie the tail a touch longer than the hook shank. I haven't noticed any difference.
Dub your thread with some natural muskrat fur.
Wrap your dubbed thread forward building a tapered body.
Tie in some brown hackle, shiny side facing you.
The hackle fibers should equal the length of the hook shank.
I strip the fibers off the last bit of the feather so it's easier to tie in. I tie the stem of the feather between the wings.
Tie in a grizzly hackle feather the same way.
Wrap one hackle at a time. 3-4 turns each for this size #14 hook.
You can leave a space when wrapping your first hackle that your second hackle will lay in.
Whip finish, and trim any stray hackle fibers.
