Killer Bee

[Matt B 0]

I started tying this fly a couple seasons ago for smallmouth surface feeding near current rising like trout. It is not a popper although I have worked it for largemouth like that. For smallies, and the original idea was a skater. The long hackle helps immensely, I drift it through current then as the water slows, pick the rod tip up an skate or hop it along back towards you. I've seen deer hair poppers as bee patterns, but I've never seen one like this, so I'd like to take claim for it, but maybe I'm wrong, and somebody else has done this. You guys tell me.

On to the tying part. It's straight forward. If you can spin dear hair you can tye this and also see it's not colored black with a marker. I alternate colors, using smaller clumps for the black bands. Now, what I've found is probably pretty obvious to you guys. I stop spinning far from the eye of the hook. Whip finish and cut off. Do all your shaping then tye back on with black thread. This is important... Go for the Hackle, then when it comes to the wing I use a cello wing material. It can be difficult to get a set of good usable looking wings. I normally use a wing burner to get a good shape. When you tye them on you need to know that soon after catching some ill mannered smallmouth you will have to replace these. I hate it but, bottom line is the material gets shredded. A couple time a season I use a razor blade to cut the thread and replace the wings and hackle. I've tried other material for wings, hackle tips you name it's been done, but none of them looked as cool. So a little maintenance is worth it.

Hook - size 4 dry fly mustad, use pliers to put a slight curve in it

Body - deer hair from the belly, yellow and black alternate

Hackle - brown, sized bigger than hook

Wing - cello wing, burned to shape

[bad fish rising 0]

thats a nice fly

[Henry Franklin 0]

that's some fine looking work Matt!!!

 

Henry F.

[Matt B 0]

thanks fellas, I'm gonna be doing a pattern dump as I get time. Feel free to check out the ones I've already posted around the forum, Extended antron body cream cahill, chartreuse grub, and hydro caddis larva.

Cheers,

Matt

[ditz2 0]

that is a fine looking bug. I will say that I believe that many years ago one of the major tackle companies sold a deer hair bug for bass but I believe it was tied on a larger hook. Like maybe a #1 or there abouts. Maybe one of the other old farts will chime in. It was even before my time. Probably in the late 40's to late 50's. The pattern was different than yours though so you probably have an 'original'.