Fly Tying Corner: Tie Beau Peavey’s Sculpted Streamer for Spring!

Streamers in the spring? You bet! As the water warms up, the bigger fish will be looking for a substantial meal. This is a great sculpin imitation for both pre- and post-runoff fishing on the Yellowstone or Madison. It can be dead-drifted, swung, or stripped. If you’re going to dead-drift it with a dropper, clip off the back hook to stay legal.

Materials
Hooks: Rear – Dai-Riki #155, egg-hook size 4-8; Front: Dai-Riki #710, 3x streamer-hook sizes 4-8
Thread: 3/0 tan Uni-Thread; beadalon wire
Tail: Upper: “Jailbait” (barred tan) zonker strip 1/4” straight cut; Lower – White zonker strip 1/4” straight cut
Body: Polar chenille; Lateral lines: pearl Krystal Flash
Hackle: Crosscut tan zonker 1/8”
Head: Dumbbell eyes; spun deer hair – upper – tan, lower – white

Instructions
1. Using the egg hook, tie the tan zonker on the top, leaving a 1” tail and 1 1/2” on the front to fasten to the front hook.
2. Connect the egg hook to the streamer hook using beadalon wire.
3. Tie on the dumbbell eyes to the streamer hook.
4. Tie the tan zonker 3/4 of the way down the streamer hook.
5. Using the white zonker, puncture the zonker with the hook of the streamer hook so that the end of the zonker touches the hook of the egg hook, then fasten to the streamer hook. Tie in the lateral lines.
6. Tie in the Polar chenille, wrap forward 1/2” on the shank of the streamer hook. Tie off.
7. Tie in the cross-cut zonker and wrap one time as if it’s a hackle. Tie off.
8. Spin the deer-hair head, with white on bottom and tan on top. Tie off and whip finish.
9. Trim deer hair, leaving a collar around the throat of the fly.

Beau Peavey ties, guides, and works in the shop at Sweetwater Fly Shop in Livingston.