Photo Courtesy of Rick Obermiller

Instructions:

1.      Slide beadhead to eye and glue in place. 

2.      Tie in Peacock Crystal Flash above hook bend and wrap up to beadhead.

3.    Tie in gold or copper wire at tail end of Crystal Flash.

4.  Tie in Micro-chenille where shank meets hook bend  Secure with several wraps behind beadhead and lay on top of Crystal Flash.  Allow for small space for Peacock Herl head.

5.      Tie in generous amount of brown hen hackle at a 45 degree angle to form legs.

6.      Wrap gold or copper wire forward 4-5 wraps and tie down behind beadhead to secure Micro-chenille.   

7.      Tie in Peacock Herl, form peacock rope (using 3-4 strands) and wrap around shank 3-4 times to form head. 

8.      Secure Peacock head with several wraps.

9.   Whip finish and apply head cement.

Comments: 

This fly was first introduced to me by my friend Rick this April.  It is a variation of the Gold Beaded Poopah and is a pretty effective and accurate imitation of a caddis pupa.  More specifically, this fly was modified by Rick to feature the 2 favorite colors of the trout in the lakes of the White Mountains. 

Prior to a trip to Big Lake in April 2002, I tied several of these flies because of reports of catching over 100 trout per day from Big Lake.  I fished it with an intermediate sinking line and found that a fast retrieve worked extremely well, while wading the shorelines, casting directly out from shore and letting it sink only 5-8 feet deep.  Big Lake produced over 80 rainbows, brookies, and cutthroats that day using this fly.

On the next day, I employed the same tactics at Lee Valley Reservoir and managed to catch about 3 dozen grayling and apache trout within a few hours.   We had experimented with several flies on during this trip and the only other producing fly was an AZ Peacock Lady, tied with a red tail.  Although I have always felt that finding the right depth has been more important than fly selection, this fly has altered my beliefs somewhat and has convinced me that red and green will catch more trout, at least in Big and Crescent Lakes.

- Terry Chia, AZOD Fly Fishing Section Leader