Tom Littleton wrote:

Looks it, Sandy.......It looks as if it would be more fragile,
with the saddle-hackle base for the structure of it. Is it??


I'll try to get the howto photos online today.
It's a bit invovled.......but I like it that way.

I put two vices face to face. One is a rotary.
The other holds a swivel. I connect the swivel
to an open loop in some stainless wire, then
clamp the other end of the wire to the rotary vice.

Now I can spin the rotary vice to make the wire spin
like a fly tying lathe.

Cover the wire with spawn sack netting. This makes a
strong base, and it's slippery enough so the whole works
can be slid off the wire in a final step.

Lash on the hooks. Tie lead eyes to the front hook.
Wind to the rear (spinning the hand lathe) and now wind
on saddle hackle. Always leave the thread dangling to
the rear of the hackle. Wind the thread forward, over hte hackle,
winding in the opposite direction. Use hackle pliers to pinch
the front end of the hackle while reverse winding the over thread.

slide it off. Drop CA glue onto the eyes.
Clinch knot to the rear hook. Throw and overhand knot
over the front end of the front hook. Thread the tippet
through the front eye and tie it off to the leader.
You may or may not want to add additional split shot.

The fly snakes and undulates from front to back.
Drives'em wild.

At the Paradise Valley Spring creeks, south of Livingston
MT, on a cloudy day and after the hatches (if there are any)
you can fish these guys in the deep fast water below the
various culverts. They'll pull up 2-3 browns over 20" long
at each culvert. You don't always get them hooked, but they
always chase and bite.