|
Materials
|
Hook |
Tiemco 300, or any 6X long streamer hook, size 6-8 |
| Thread: |
Yellow 170 denier flat nylon |
|
Body: |
Pearl sparkle braid (or any pearl color flash) |
|
Tail: |
Yellow marabou |
|
Underwing: |
White calf tail |
|
Wing |
One mallard flank dyed yellow |
|
Collar: |
Yellow deer hair |
|
Head: |
Same yellow deer hair cut full and shaped wide |
|
Kelly Galloup's Zoo Cougar
Kelly Galloup is
widely known and recognized for his creative, innovative patterns.
He’s produced a number of good videos on fishing technique as well
as fly tying instruction. The Zoo Cougar is interesting because of
its dual personality. It is designed as a floating fly, but Kelly
fishes it beneath the surface with a sinking line. Here is what he
has to say: “The Zoo Cougar has without a doubt been the most
productive fly for really big trout I have ever fished. This fly was
the firs of the floating fly concept and has still been the best of
the bunch. A floating fly is a fly designed to be pulled under by
the sinking line, as opposed to weighting the fly. This allows the
fly to be kicked and pushed by the currents when it’s not being
stripped, giving the fly a very real and erratic movement.” What I
intend to do with this fly, which I believe will be mistaken for a
scuplin, is to fish it through some deep pockets on the McCloud just
before dark. Hopefully, Mr. Big Brown will seize the fly as it swims
through the currents near the bottom. |
|
Instructions
-
Smash the barb.
Cover the hook shank with thread.
-
Tie in a tail of
yellow marabou. It should be somewhat full, but not bulky. The
tail should be tied in right above the back of the barb.
-
Tie in the sparkle
braid at the same spot, advance the thread to a point about 5/8”
behind the eye, and wrap the braid forward. Tie it off where you
left the bobbin.
-
Tie in the calf
tail at this spot. It should extend to about the tail tie-in
point. Keep the material directly on top of the hook, and don’t
let it spin around to the sides or bottom.
-
At the same point
tie in one dyed yellow mallard flank feather with the tips even
with the marabou tail. It should be tied in so that the concave
(dull) side is down.
-
Stack a nice bunch
of deer hair and spin it around the hook at the same forward
point, forming a collar with the tips pointed to the rear.
-
Now spin several
bunches of hair in front of the collar; pack each bunch rearward
before spinning the next bunch.
-
Tie off at the eye
and whip finish.
-
Trim the head to a
flat, arrow-head shape, so that the fly resembles a sculpin. Place
a drop or two of head cement into the deer hair head. Now go fish
this fishy-looking critter, and….
See
ya on the creek... |
