Rubber Legged Dragon

Deadly on any warmwater fish, here is Blake’s version of the original Carter Nelson fly, which you can find here – http://www.flyfishga.com/rl_dragon.htm

Materials:

Hook: 4x long streamer

Tail: Marabou and flash

Body: chenille

Legs: Sililegs

Weight: Bead chain

Dubbing: Black ice dubbing

Step 1. Start thread and tie in bead chain eyes using figure 8 wraps.

Step 2. Bring thread to a point above the barb. Tie in marabou for the tail and tidy up the butt ends around the hook. I like to tie it down up the shank to about one eye length behind the bead chain eyes.

Step 3. Tie in flash along either side of the marabou.

Step 4. Tie in your choice of chenille material.

Step 5. Bring thread to the midpoint between the eyes and tail tie in. Tie in sililegs on either side of the hook.

Step 6. I find it easier to use a piece of lead wire to hold the legs out of the way while I wrap the body. I then use my bodkin to pull the two rear legs out of the lead wrap. Take one wrap of chenille between the legs, and continue to a spot behind the bead chain leaving enough room to make a hackle collar.

Step 7. Tie in a feather for the collar. I use a soft webby grizzly feather. Wrap the feather to form a collar.

Step 8. Split the thread and insert dubbing. Spin the thread to form a dubbing rope.

Step 9. Wrap the dubbing one full turn around the shank directly in front of the collar, then finish off the dubbing rope using figure 8’s around the bead chain.

Step 10. Whip finish the thread. Finished fly.

Proof of concept