3. Then stack and tie in a clump of deer hair. I use golden brown deer hair. The clump should be held and tied on top of the hook shank with it angling back slightly over the rabbit strip. The tips should be about the same height of the rabbit fur.
4. From there, grab another dark brown cross-cut rabbit strip and wrap toward the eye of the hook. Leave a little room to tie in rubber legs.
5. Use 3 or 4 strands of rubber legs hanging on each side of the fly. I tie in the rubber legs near the eye of the hook and make sure they dangle on each side. Whip finish and put some Krazy glue around the thread wraps.
That is everything for the first hook.
6. Now, place your front hook in the vise and tie in large white dumbbell lead eyes. I wrap my thread up to about two eyes back from the hook eye. I wrap the eyes in with figure eight wraps on top of the hook shank and secure them with Krazy glue.
7. Grab your 19 strand Beadalon wire and tie in one end on top of the hook shank on the side nearest you, leaving room for the other end of the wire right on top of the other side. Then, run it through your two beads and the eye of the back hook. Tie down the other side of the wire on top of the hook shank right next to the wire you’ ve already tied down. Fold the wire ends over and tie down. It will be tied off a little past the middle point of the hook shank. Use Krazy glue to help secure them.
8. Then tie in a clump of brown alpaca fiber and make sure it covers the connection of the hooks on each side of the fly. Each side of the alpaca fiber should extend back to cover the head of the back hook. This helps make the fly appear as one by hiding the connection.
9. Take about 30 strands of peacock herl and tie them in. These should be long enough to almost reach the deer hair you tied on the back hook. They should be cut even at the tips. I put some Krazy glue around them next to the hook shank to help with durability.
10. Next, take another dark brown cross-cut rabbit strip and wrap it around the hook shank from the peacock herl. Do this until you reach about the middle, or a little past the middle of the hook shank, leaving room to tie in deer hair and dubbing.
11. Then move in front of the rabbit strip and take a clump of golden brown deer hair and tie it down on top of the hook shank. Do not spin the hair. Make sure the hair stays on top of the hook shank. This clump will also be used to form the collar.
12. Use another clump of deer hair and tie it in the same way. It should be pushed up against the dumbbell lead eyes. Sometimes, it takes another clump depending on how close you are to the eyes. You need to be close to the eyes before doing the next step.
13. Now, take a clump of Dark Tan Senyo Laser Dub and pull it apart in your fingers until you get a clump that stays together about an inch long. Tie this clump onto the bottom of the hook shank just behind the eyes. Tie it in, right in the middle of the clump, and then fold it back and wrap thread around in front of the clump to hold it back in place. The dub should be brushed back toward the hook point on the bottom.
14. Then, take another clump of golden brown deer hair and tie it on top of the hook shank in front of the eyes. Still keeping it on top of the shank, do not let it spin. It only takes one clump in front of the eyes. This is very close to the hook eye by now. I leave room to tie in one more clump of tan dubbing on the bottom.
15. Use the same technique as before and tie a clump of laser dub on the bottom of the shank. This will be right next to the eye of the hook. Brush it back on the bottom towards the hook point. This will look like a beard on the bottom of the fly. Whip finish and seal with Krazy glue or head cement.
16. Finally, take scissors and trim the golden brown deer hair to form the head. I leave a collar, but trim the ends off of the collar so they’ re even. Then I trim down the head. It should look like the photo.
That’ s it, a Bearded Wonder!
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