Tying Instructions: Bow River Bugger

1.Secure the hook in the vise and attach the leadfree wire to the shank starting about 1/3 the shank length from the eye. 
Step One
2. Wrap about 15 to 20 wraps toward the bend of the hook.
Step Two
3. Attach the thread to the hook shank and wrap over the wire multiple times to secure it to the shank keeping the wire wraps from turning on the shank.
Step Three
4. Clip the tips off two marabou plumes or use two blood marabous. Match the tip ends and measure the tips so that it is about 3/4 to a full shank length.
Step Four
5. Place the tips at the bend of the hook and secure with two or three tight thread wraps.
Step Five
6. Trim off the tag ends of the marabou tips at the base of the wire wraps and secure with thread wraps securing the tips as a tail.
Step Six
7. Attach 3-4 strands of flashabou to the base of the tail so that the strands are on the top of the tail and do not exceed it's length. Secure the tag end of the flashabou with thread over the wire wraps.
Step Seven
8. Next, attach a strand of copper wire for a ribbing at along the side or below the hook shank. Secure the wire up to the base of the tail.
Step Eight
9. Attach a piece of medium Chenille at the base of the tail. Pull the fuzz off the end of the chenille so that the inner core is secured by the thread to the hook shank.
Step Nine
10. Wrap the chenille forward for an even body. You may need to take the twist out of the chenille as you wrap forward. Wrap up to the end of the wire wraps and secure with a couple of tight wraps of thread.
Step Ten
11. Select a rooster cape hackle which has a degree of webbiness to it. The hackle should be a couple of hook sizes smaller than the hook you are using since it will be palmered over a thick chenille body. Attach the base of the hackle directly in front of the chenille body.
Step Eleven
12. Wrap the hackle a full turn in front of the chenille body and then wrap the hackle back towards the base of the tail with spirol wraps.
Step Twelve
13. Once the hackle reaches the base of the tail, secure the hackle tip with a turn of the wire ribbing. Step Thirteen
14. Wrap the ribbing forward with spirol wraps securing the hackle to the chenille body. Secure the end of the ribbing at the front the hackle base with thread wraps. Trim off the hackle tip where the first ribbing turn was made.
Step Fourteen
15. Cut a bundle of deer hair off the hide and even the tips of the deer hair within a stacker.
Step Fifteen
16. Measure the deer hair bundle so that it is about half the hook shank.
Step Sixteen
17. Trim the base of the hair so that the base is secured to the hook shank just in front of the hackle.
Step Seventeen
18. Secure the base of the bundle with a couple of thread wraps without tightening to much. With the third thread wrap, gradually tighten the thread and release the bundle so that the bundle will spin on the hook shank to evenly distribute hair around the shank.
Step Eighteen
19. Secure the base of the deer hair with three to four more tight wraps.
Step Nineteen
20. Take a piece of leadfree wire and wrap the deer hair to the body of the pattern. This will give you room to trim the two hair bundles that will be spun next.
Step Twenty
21. Clip a second bundle of deer hair from the hide and trim off the tips as well so the the bundle is about a 1/2 inch in length. Attach the bundle to the hook shank directly in front of the first spun bundle with a couple of wraps.
Step Twentyone
22. Spin the hair as you did earlier. Secure with two to three additional thread wraps.
Step Twentytwo
23. Take a Hair packer and push back the hair to create some room for the third deer hair bundle.
Step Twentythree
24. The third bundle of hair is bleached deer hair. The light color is to mimic the mouth of a muddler. Again attach with a couple of thread wraps and spin the material.
Step Twentyfour
25. This final bundle needs to be packed once more to create some room for tying off just behind the eye of the hook.
Step Twentyfive
26. Use a half hitch tool to secure the thread without capturing some deer hairs.
Step Twentysix
27. Use a Whip Finish to firmly secure the thread to the hook shank behind the eye.
Step Twentyseven
28. Trim off the thread near the base of the eye.
Step Twentyeight
29. Turn the bugger pattern upside down and trim the deer hair flat along the body just behind the eye.
Step Twentynine
30. Turn the bugger pattern up once more and trim the deer hair above the shank with a bent razor blade. Use a Stonfo razor holder or something similar as this can be quite dangerous just using your hand.
Step Thirty
31. Trim the hair at a sloping angle so that the deer hair sweeps back. 
Step Thirtyone
32. Use scissors to make some final touch ups on your sculpting.
Step Thirtytwo
33. Unwrap the wire holding back the deer hair collar and fluff everything back up with your fingers.
Step Thirtythree
34. Turn the pattern upside down once more and trim the base of the head flat and parallel to the hook shank with scissors.
Step Thirtyfour
35. The Bow River Bugger. Heavily weighted and with a loosely packed head to allow better submersion. Try this along the bottom of the stream.
Step Thirtyfive
   

©2023 Steve Schalla
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