Hook: TMC 5263 #4 or Daiichi 2220 #4
Thread: 3/0 monochord or gel spun white
Tag: gold tinsel medium
Tail: gold krystal flash
Butt: orange floss
Lid: brown foam 3mm
Body: spun deer hair, natural brown with white head
Legs: round rubber legs medium brown
Collar: guinea dyed orange


Tying tips: This is not an easy fly to tie. The deer hair needs to be packed really really tight to look good, and the rubber legs and the collar are tied in between deer hair packings. Great practice for spinning deer, though.

Fishing Notes:
This is a killer pattern for summer steelhead anywhere they live. Skating flies for steelhead can be some of the most rewarding and adrenaline-charged fishing you will do. The idea is to create a surface disturbance with the fly that will entice the spawn-happy steelhead to eat...wade the fly in the current. Try to manipulate your line so that the speed of the fly is consistent- i.e. it doesn't accelerate suddenly in the latter half of your swing. More often than not, the take is a 'sip'- a very subtle inhalation of the fly. The hard part is resisting the urge to set the hook suddenly, as this usually results in you pulling the fly from the fish's mouth- let the fish take the fly and count to three- then set the hook and hold on. Low light times are best.

_____________________________________________________________

General Fly Tying Help
_____________________________________________________________