Instructions: Lightning Bug

Tying Instructions: Lightning Bug




	1. Place a bead, Silver or Gold, onto the hook.
	2. Wrap 4-5 turns of leadfree wire around the shank and shove the wire into the cavity of the bead.
	3. Attach the thread behind the bead and lay a thread foundation to the bend of the hook.
	4.Tie in 5-6 strands of Pheasant Tail Fibers for a tail. Length of tail does not exceed the hook shank.
	5. Bring the thread back up to behind the bead and attach a copper wire rib to the bottom of the hook shank with the end of the wire into the bead cavity. Secure the wire ribbing along the bottom of the hook shank, wrapping the wire down to the base of the tail.
	6. Attach a section of Pearlescent Mylar to the top of the hook shank and secure to the base of the tail. Wrap the thread back to the bead creating a slightly tapered body.
	7. Wrap the mylar from the base of the tail and the thorax area which is about a bead width behind the bead. Secure the mylar with thread wraps.
	8. Wrap the copper wire ribbing forward with 4 evenly spaced wraps over the mylar to just past the midpoint of the shank. Tie down.
	9. Tie in a piece of Pearlescent Mylar for a wingcase behind the bead and secure back about one bead width. This is where you secured the copper wire ribbing.
	10. Tie in 2 strands of peacock herl by the tips in the same location as the wingcase. This will be the thorax.
	11. Wrap the herl forward, back, and forward again to build up a sizeable thorax. Secure the tag end with a couple of thread wraps and clip off the tag.
	12. Prepare the leg material by selecting a Hen Back hackle. Remove the tip of the hackle and stroke the lower portion of the fibers back into a planar orientation. The tip fibers will be the legs and are in a V formation with a selected number of fibers on each side of the fly.
	13. Secure the hackle to the top of the shank with two thread wraps just behind the bead. Use the space you created on the hackle when you stroked back the lower fibers. Pulling back on the hackle you can adjust the length of the legs. Keep the two segments separated by pulling the leg fibers to the side of the shank. The leg length should just exceed the thorax body. Once positioned, secure with 2-3 tight thread wraps behind the bead and trim off the tag end of the hackle.
	14. Pull the mylar wingcase over the thorax between the leg hackle and secure with 2-3 additional thread wraps just behind the bead.
	15. Trim the tag ends and Whip Finish.
	16. Apply some UV Fly Finish Flow to the wingcase and thread wraps.
	17. Cure the finish with a UV lamp.
	18. The finished Lightning Bug.