Wild Thing Step By Step

Stinger

I like to use my vise to smash the barb. It's fast and easy.

Apply a thread base to the hook shank. This will help secure the materials better.

Tie in the Marabou tail. My habit is to trim it near the eye and tie it down. This keeps the materials even so as not to end up with a huge lump at the bend.

Tie in the Krystal Flash near the eye. Double it up, tie it in the middle, pull it back and tie it down.

Trim the hair off the end of the cross cut bunny, extend the leather to near the eye and tie down.

Palmer the bunny forward over the hook shank just like the motion you use when palmering hackle smoothing the bunny back as you go. Tie off the head and whip finish.

Double up a thin piece of wire and insert it into the eye from the top.

Insert the Dacron backing material through the loop of the wire and then pull the Dacron up through the eye by pulling on the wire making sure to have enough to form a loop. I like to have about 4"-5" of doubled up Dacron for the connector.

Pull the Dacron loop over the fly, remove fly from vise to pull loop under the entire fly, then tighten the loop at the eye. I tried tying knots but this is easier as there's no knot to untie or loosen. You now should have two strands of Dacron to connect to the point part of the fly.

Cement the head using regular cement or Zap a Gap etc.

Using a permanent marker, color the connector and set this aside to dry while you work on the point part of the fly.

Point

Many places won't allow for more than 1 hook. PUT ON EYE PROTECTION FOR THIS STEP!

Using wire cutters trim the hook at the bend allowing for a small amount of hook as shown. If you cut it off straight from the hook shank the materials tend to slide off the back.

If you are going to use a Conehead or Bead, slide it over the shank to the eye now.

Establish a thread base on the shank.

Wrap wire for weight and/or tie in optional dumbell eyes.

Wind thread through turns on wire.

Pull the two strands of the Dacron connector from the Stinger to measure. I like to keep this no longer than about 3/8". If it's too long the materials from the Point won't cover the connector, but more importantly too long means that the Stinger will tangle with the Point while casting.

Tie down the two Dacron strands very tightly driving it into the grooves of the wire. Tie from the back forward. (If you are using dumbell eyes, pull the two strands of Dacron over the eyes and double back.)

Then double back with the Dacron connector and tie down again very tightly. Trim the Dacron.

Trim fur off bunny strip and tie down tightly to near the eye.

Palmer the bunny strip forward but don't crowd the eye.

Tie down at head, cut the bunny strip and create a thread head. Whip finish and apply head cement.

The finished fly