Peacock eyes produce thicker herls for a fuller fly body.
The Zug Bug is a nymph pattern. The body is tied with peacock herl, which gives the fly an iridescent sheen in the water. Accept in eastern and western waters, this pattern is particularly effective in lakes. The choice of peacock herl is important. Individual herls are made up of tiny fibers on a central stem. Strung herl often has thin fibers that give little body to the fly. Full eye feathers are preferred, since they produce the thickest herls and give the Zug Bug a full body.
Instructions
1. Clamp the bend of the hook in the vise so the shank is parallel with the tabletop. Begin wrapping the thread around the hook shank in a clockwise direction just behind the hook eye. Wrap the thread back to the hook's bend, stopping directly above the hook barb and let the bobbin hang.
2. Cut three fibers from a peacock sword feather and adjust them so the tips are even. Lay the fibers, tips to the rear, on top of the hook shank directly over the hook barb. Adjust the fibers so they extend past the end of the hook one-half the length of the hook shank. Tie them in place with three turns of thread.
3. Trim off the butt ends of the sword fibers. Tie a 2-inch length of gold tinsel on top of the thread wraps over the sword fibers with three turns of thread.
4. Cut three thick herls from the stem of the peacock eye. Lay the butt ends of the herls over the thread wraps on the tinsel. Tie the herls down with three turns of thread. Wrap the thread forward to the hook eye.
5. Wrap one herl around the shank in a clockwise direction toward the hook eye, stopping at a point behind the eye equal to two lengths of the eye. Tie the herl down with two turns of thread. Keep each wrap snug against the one before it so there are no gaps between the wraps.
6. Wrap the second herl in the same manner over the first herl. Tie it down with two turns of thread. Wrap the third herl over the first two and tie it down with three turns of thread.
7. Wrap the tinsel toward the eye in a clockwise direction, leaving gaps between the wraps and forming a spiral over the herls. There should be four wraps of the tinsel over the length of the body. Tie the tinsel down over the thread wraps on the herls with three turns of thread. Trim off the butt ends of the herls and tinsel.
8. Cut a 1/16-inch wide section from the stem of a mottled turkey feather. Lay the butt end of the feather on top of and parallel with the hook shank so it lies over the herl body. Tie it down over the thread wraps on the herls and tinsel with three turns of thread.
9. Trim off the excess turkey section that is sticking out over the hook eye. Cut straight across the turkey section that is over the fly body so it extends over only one-third of the body length.
10. Pinch eight to 10 fibers from a brown hackle feather and cut the fibers off at the stem. Hold the fibers up against the underside of the hook shank between the end of the body and the hook eye. Adjust the fibers so the tips extend to the hook point. Tie them in place with four turns of thread.
11. Create the fly head by wrapping the thread back and forth between the hook eye and the fly body. Form the head into a cone shape and finish the wraps with three half hitches. Dip the tip of the bodkin in the fly head cement and paint it on the head. Cut the thread loose from the fly.
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