Tying Instructions: Extended Body Mayfly, Gray Drake
1. Attach a needle or thin bodkin to the vise and apply some thread wax to it.
Step One
2. Place some strands of Z-lon to the needle. This material will be a base to the extended body that will make it easier to slide off and will provide a core to attach the extended body to the hook shank.
Step Two
3. Secure the Z-lon to the needle with thread wraps.
Step Three
4. Attach 2 micofibetts to the base of the body with thread wraps and split the pair with a thread wrap between the fibetts.
Step Four
5. Next, attach a thread ribbing and a small clump of deer hair by the tips at the tail tie-in position. Step Five
6. Now, apply dubbing to the thread and wrap a tapered body towards the base.
Step Six
7. I like to apply small amounts of dubbing for better control. You might need 3-4 applications to get to the end of the body. The body length should be about 2 x's the shank length.
Step Seven
8. Pull the deer hair over the top of the body and secure with thread wraps. Next, wrap the ribbing with evenly spaced spirol wraps and secure this too.
Step Eight
9. Trim off the butt ends of the hair and the ribbing tag end. Secure these with thread wraps. Next, apply Head Cement to the body. This will help strengthen the body and keep everything together. Let it dry before pulling off the body from the needle.
Step Nine
10.Attach the extended body to the hook shank. Note that I am attaching the threaded core to the shank itself with the dubbed body firmly against the base of the hook shank. Trim off the excess Z-lon and secure with thread wraps.
Step Ten
11. Select a pair of hackle tips. I'm using Hen Cape hackle tips in a dun coloration. Remove the lower fibers until you get the lenght you desire. The length of the wing should be about the length of the body. Attach the wings to the midpoint of the hook shank along the top. The wings should have the shiny side facing outwards.
Step Eleven
12. Wrap behind the wings to stand them upright and apply some thread wraps between the pair to separate them.
13. Attach a hackle to the side of the shank behind the wing. Have the shiny side facing upwards, so that this side will face the front of the hook while being wrapped.
Step Thirteen
14. Apply dubbing behind the wing and in front to create a thorax. Make sure that you dub right to the extended body for a smooth transition. Use your hackle pliers to wrap the hackle over the thorax. Wrap three times behind the wing and three times in front. Do not crowd the eye.
Step Fourteen
15. Secure the butt end of the hackle just behind the eye with thread wraps and trim. Wrap a few more wraps and whip finish.
Step Fifteen

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