Marabou

Tying Instructions: Anatomical Green Drake




	1.Slide the bead onto the hoook. Use a 5/64 inch for size 12 or 1/8 inch for sizes 10 and 8.
	2. Fill the void of the bead with leadfree wire. Use 0.015 inch for size 12 and 10; 0.020 for size 8. Apply about 15 wraps behind the bead to designate the thorax region (about 1/2 the shank length).
	3. Secure the leadfree wire with thread wraps.
	4.Prepare the tailing piece from a partridge feather. The tip of the feather is trimmed along the stem with a few fibers along each side at the base.
	5. Apply a small mound of thread at the tie-in position to help lift the tail. Position the tail. The bare stem nearest the fibers should be secured just in front of the thread mound.
	6. Secure the rest of the stem along the top of the shank. Trim off the butt end at the lead wraps. Attach the copper ribbing to the shank and secure to the tail tie-in position.
	7. Wrap the thread back to the lead wraps. Prepare a strip of backing. I'm using Dark Olive Scudback 1/8" which is a very strong transparent vinyl material. Trim a small point to the strip and secure this tip to the top of the shank just behind the lead wraps. Secure the material with thread wraps down to the tail tie-in position. Then wrap the thread back to the lead wire.
	8. Secure the material with thread wraps down to the tail tie-in position.
	9. Then wrap the thread back to the lead wire. Select a dyed Olive and a Brown or Natural Ostrich Herl. The two colors give the gills a nice mottled appearance. Secure these herls by their butt ends to the shank just behind the lead wire. Then, secure the herls to the shank with thread wraps to the tail tie-in position.
	10. With the thread at the tail tie-in position, create a dubbing loop with the thread. This is a large loop of thread about 2-3 inches long and the loop is kept apart with a dubbing loop tool. Once you've created this loop, wrap forward with the thread to the lead wire area.
	11. Twist the Ostrich Herls around one strand of the dubbing loop.
	12. After wrapping the herl around the thread, allow the loop tool to twist the loop into a herled rope.
	13. Wrap the herl forward taking care not to trap the herl fibers.
	14. Wrap the herl forward to the lead wire and secure with some thread wraps.
	15. Now, pull the scudback material forward and secure with some thread wraps just at the lead wire.
	16. Next, counter wrap the ribbing using a jiggling motion to release the Ostrich fibers that get caught. Try to get 4-5 wraps around the abdomen region, then pull the scudback back over the rear and secure the ribbing with thread wraps at the lead wire.
	17. Wrap the thread to the midpoint of the thorax region. Trim off a bunch of partridge fibers, keeping the tips aligned. I tend to stroke the fibers back so they are perpendicular to the stem and snip.
	18. Place the bunch on the top of the shank midway on the thorax. The tips should extend about twice the distance from the eye.
	19. Trim off the base of the wing fibers and secure with thread wraps both behind the wing and in front. Bring the thread to the base of the scudback which will be wingcase.
	20. Apply dubbing to the thread. Anchoring a few dubbing fibers to the hook with one turn around the thorax will help you to twist the dubbing around the thread.
	21. Dub an ample thorax that is about twice the diameter as the abdomen. I'm using Arizona Syntheic Dubbing, Peacock. Dub both behind and in front of the wing.
	22. Divide the partridge fibers in half with your bodkin. Use you thumb or finger to press the fibers downward in a splayed manner. The flat side of your scissors may help in pressing. Then, bring the wingcase material over the fibers and secure behind the bead.
	23. Trim off the excess wingcase material and secure with additional thread wraps. I like to catch the edges of the wingcase material with my thread and use the thread pressure to force the material into the space behind the bead. Whip finish.