A few months ago I was scanning through the materials at my local flyshop when I came across a Peacock colored Mylar Tinsel from Uni Products. I bought a spool of it and on the drive home began thinking about how it could be incorporated into some new patterns. I envisioned using it for wingcases and flashback abdomens but when I got home and sat down at the tying bench I came up with a better idea. While tying a run of my Bastard Buggers to stock up for the new year I glanced down at a few Rainbow Warriors I had just tied and coated with Clear Cure Goo. What if I replaced the Micro Polar Chenille body of my original Bastard Bugger with the new peacock tinsel? What if instead I wrapped the body with the peacock colored tinsel like you do with standard pearl tinsel when tying a Rainbow Warrior? Then what if I coated the body with some CCG as I had on the flies I tied earlier? With the gears starting to turn, and my imagination off to the races, I set off tying and ended up with what I'm calling The "Cocky" Bastard Bugger in honor of the new "cocky" colored tinsel.
Although I have yet to fish it I like the way it turned out regardless if it doesn't turn out to be a fish magnet like the original. The Clear Cure Goo brings the peacock tinsel to life and magnifies it's multicolored shine. Since it's so shiny in fact I omitted the strands of Krystal Flash I usually tie on either side of the tail. There's quite a debate among tiers and fisherman whether or not too much flash can turn a fish off and the body of this fly is enough on it's own. Other than it's "electric" abdomen it relies on the same black Marabou tail and black CDC collar that make the original so successful. My theory is the shiny peacock body much like the originals UV chenille body will get a fish's attention. Then the Marabou tail combined with the ultra buggy movement of the CDC collar will be enough to convince it to strike. I should note that I also added a ball of synthetic peacock dubbing behind the CDC collar to prevent the fibers from marrying with the slick body like you do on some soft-hackle patterns. This helps to ensure maximum movement of the CDC fibers so they are free to breathe and pulsate underwater.
Only time will tell if this variation of one of my most successful patterns will work as well as the original does. But as a fly tier that is constantly learning and experimenting I'm open to failure. We learn more from those days on the water when we can't catch anything than we do on the days where everything we do produces a fish. And, we learn more about tying and developing effective fly patterns from the one's that weren't so effective. The next time your at the flyshop and something new or different catches your eye pick it up. If it catches your attention it might just catch a fish's as well!
The "Cocky" Bastard Bugger
Hook: TMC 5262 sz. 10-12
Bead: Black Tungsten sized to match hook
Underbody: Tapered Adhesive Lead Foil
Thread: Black Uni 8/0
Tail: Black Marabou (Fluffy fibers from the base of a Marabou feather)
Body: Peacock Uni-Mylar Tinsel #10 (Coat tinsel body with several coats of Clear Cure Goo Hydro)
Thorax: 50/50 blend of Wapsi Life Cycle Peacock dubbing and Peacock Ice Dub (Create a bulbous thorax to keep the collar from sticking to the body)
Collar: Black CDC (Palmer 2 CDC feathers as you would a soft-hackle)
