Circus Peanut

Materials

Rear hook

3X-long streamer hook, TMC 5263 #2-4 (Maddin now ties on Ahrex TP605 #1 rear)

Front hook

3X-long streamer hook, TMC 5263 #2 (Ahrex TP605 #1/0 on Maddin's current tie)

Thread

Danville 210 denier or Veevus 6/0 to match the body (brown on the olive tie); Uni 6/0 for finishing

Connection

25-lb monofilament (or 19-strand wire) with two or three glass or plastic beads between the hooksMaddin's original used plain mono and no beads; beads keep the joint from folding.

Eyes

Lead dumbbell eyes, medium to large, tied on the underside of the front shankPlastic or bead-chain eyes for clear or shallow water; Maddin changes eye weight rather than the fly.

Tail

Strung marabou, a full clump (olive brown on the natural; root beer, olive, yellow, black or white for the variants)

Flash

Flashabou, 4-6 strands each side of the tail (black, olive and silver mix on the olive; red on black; copper on root beer)

Rear body

Estaz or crystal chenille, medium, to match (plain chenille on Maddin's current tie)

Rear legs

Barred Sili Legs, two per side at the front of the rear body

Rear hackle

Schlappen or speckled hen saddle (Whiting CDL hen, mottled yellow on the olive), two or three turns as a collar

Front skirt

Marabou tied in at the bend of the front hook to cover the joint

Front body

Estaz or crystal chenille, medium, to match

Front legs

Barred Sili Legs, two per side behind the eyes

Front hackle

Schlappen or speckled hen saddle, two or three turns behind the eyes

Head

Chenille figure-eighted around the eyes, thread head cemented

Steps

1. 1.Put the rear hook in the vise and lay a thread base from the eye to the bend.
2. 2.Tie in a full clump of strung marabou at the bend for a tail about one to one and a half shank lengths long. Strung marabou gives a fuller tail than blood quills. Bind the butts forward.
3. 3.Add four to six strands of Flashabou down each side of the tail, a touch longer than the marabou.
4. 4.Tie in the Estaz at the base of the tail, move the thread forward, and wind the body in close turns to about two eye-widths behind the eye. Tie off.
5. 5.Tie in two Sili Legs on each side at the front of the body so they reach about to the tail tip, one leg angled forward and one back on each side.
6. 6.Tie in a schlappen or hen saddle feather by its base end, dull side toward the hook so it lies back, take two or three turns as a collar, sweep the barbs back and tie off. Build a small head, whip finish and cement.
7. 7.Put the front hook in the vise, lay a thread base, and lash the dumbbell eyes to the underside of the shank about a third of the way back from the eye with firm figure-eights and a drop of glue. Eyes go on the bottom so the fly casts and rides right.
8. 8.Cut about 6 in of 25-lb mono. Pass it through the rear hook eye, slide two or three beads onto the doubled strand, and lash both ends along the top of the front shank back to the bend with tight wraps. Fold the tags forward, bind again and glue. Check that the rear hook swings freely.
9. 9.At the bend of the front hook tie in a clump of marabou as a skirt that hides the joint, with a few strands of flash if you like.
10. 10.Tie in the Estaz at the bend and wind it forward to the back of the eyes; tie off.
11. 11.Tie in two Sili Legs per side just behind the eyes.
12. 12.Tie in the front schlappen or hen behind the eyes, wind the collar, sweep it back and tie off.
13. 13.Figure-eight the Estaz over and around the eyes to build the head, tie off behind the hook eye and trim.
14. 14.Whip finish, cement, and give the whole fly a soak and a shake to see that both sections swing free.

From the tier

• Maddin says he joined two short hooks to keep a hooked fish on a second longer, not for action; the swimming motion turned out to be a bonus. His two rules for tiers: put the eyes on the bottom, and do not over-dress it.
• He fishes it mid-column, just below where he can see it, on a 250-grain Scientific Anglers sinking line and an 8-weight with 5-7 ft of 16-lb fluorocarbon, rod pointed at the fly, strip-strip-strip then long pauses; "Throwing straight is huge."
• Colours follow the river bottom: root beer and olive for most Michigan water, black for stained flows, yellow and white for bright days and cold water. Change eye weight, not the fly, to fish different depths.

Hook and hardware

• 3X-long streamer hooks2

  size 2 front, 2-4 rear · TMC 5263 or Ahrex TP605

  Rear hookFront hook

  2

• Monofilamentabout 6 in

  25 lb

  Connection

  about 6 in

• Lead dumbbell eyes1 pair

  medium to large

  Eyes

  1 pair

Feathers and fur

• Strung marabou2 clumps

  to match body

  TailFront skirt

  2 clumps

• Schlappen or speckled hen saddle2 feathers

  to match (mottled yellow on olive) · Whiting CDL hen on Maddin's tie

  Rear hackleFront hackle

  2 feathers

Synthetics, flash and legs

• Flashabou8-12 strands

  to match (red on black, copper on root beer)

  Flash

  8-12 strands

• Estaz or crystal chenilleabout 12 in

  medium, to match

  Rear bodyFront bodyHead

  about 12 in

• Sili Legs8 legs

  barred, to match

  Rear legsFront legs

  8 legs

Thread and finish

• Tying thread1 spool

  210 denier or 6/0, to match body · Danville or Veevus

  ThreadHead

  1 spool

• Superglue and head cementa few drops

  ConnectionEyesHead

  a few drops

Other

• Glass or plastic beads2-3

  4-6 mm

  Connection

  2-3