Baby Flounder Fly?

looks good, I'll sub fox tail for the "coyote" hair though...

Pheasant Phlounder

 

Hook:  #2 Tiemco 811S or 800S

Thread:  3/0 Monocord, brown or tan

Eyes:  small or medium lead dumbbell eyes, tied in 1/3 of the way back from the hook eye

1^st Wing:  cream or tan coyote guard hairs from the belly or tail, pushed down to have a flattened appearance

1^st Collar:  two mottled grayish-blue pheasant feathers followed by a 3^rd pheasant feather of a brownish coloration, the 1^st being the smallest of the 3 feathers, tied in back of the lead eyes and wrapped – the fibers should be gathered and tied in a “beard” style so that all the fibers are on the hook point side of the shank

2^nd Wing:  brown or tan coyote guard hairs from the belly or tail, pushed down to have a flattened appearance

2^nd Collar:  a brown marabou-like pheasant feather, followed by a smaller golden-brown pheasant feather, tied in front of the lead eyes and wrapped – the fibers should be gathered and tied in a “beard” style so that all the fibers are on the hook point side of the shank

Note:  Any pheasant feather or other plumage (including feathers from a hen pheasant, grouse, dyed partridges or roosters or hens) may be used so long as they are reflective of the natural coloration of a juvenile flatfish.

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Step 1

Using brown or tan 3/0 Monocord and a #4 – #1 standard shank hook, tie in a set of small or medium dumbbell eyes with figure-eight wraps, two eye lengths back from the hook eye. 

Step 2

Tie in a bunch of tan or cream coyote tail or grey fox tail guard hairs as long as twice the hook length or slightly longer on the hook point side of the shank, two eye lengths in back of the lead eyes.  Guard hairs with dark tips are acceptable.  Tie the guard hairs in with two or three loose wraps and then flatten the fibers down with thumb pressure.  Trim the butts and continue to bind the guard hairs down with at least 6 tight turns.

Step 3

Attach the first of three pheasant body feathers at the coyote hair tie-in point.  Wrap the feather forward (you will only get two or three turns out of the feather due to its small size) and tie down.  Form a beard by grabbing the pheasant fibers and pulling them down under (hook point side) the hook shank and tying them down.  Flatten the fibers with thumb pressure and secure the fibers in place.  Trim out any fibers that would not swing around to the hook point side of the shank.  Repeat (3 or so feathers) with increasingly larger feathers until you are tight to the lead eyes.

Step 4

Tie in another bunch of tan or cream coyote tail or grey fox tail guard hairs on the hook point side of the shank directly in front of the lead eyes.  The hair should only go to the length of the bend or slightly beyond.  Again, tie the guard hairs in with two or three loose wraps and then flatten the fibers down with thumb pressure.  Trim the butts and continue to bind the guard hairs down with at least 6 tight turns making sure that you don’t build any thread bulk near the hook eye.

Step 5

Attach the first of two pheasant body feathers at the coyote hair tie-in point.  The first feather should be slightly larger than the other feathers you have selected and should have a marabou-like quality of fluff on the first thin section of stem.  Wrap the feather forward (you will only get three or four turns out of the feather due to its small size) and tie down.  Form a beard by grabbing the pheasant fibers and pulling them down under (hook point side) the hook shank and tying them down.  Flatten the fibers with thumb pressure and secure the fibers in place.  Trim out any fibers that would not swing around to the hook point side of the shank.  Repeat with a smaller, less fluffy feather until you are tight to the hook eye.

Step 6

Whip finish and apply head cement to the entire bottom portion of the flounder (lead eyes, exposed feather stems and head).