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MATERIALS:

• Hook: Long shank, 6-1
• Thread: #6, color to match body
• Weight: Lead wire .030
• Eyes: Burned mono
• Mouth parts: Squirrel tail or a small piece of marabou.
• Back: Swiss straw-brown
• Body: Rabbit fur dubbing or chenille, olive or brown.
• Antennae: Stripped feathers
• Legs: Brown neck feathers.
• Mandibles: Squirrel tail - brown.
• Rattle: Gambler brand for injecting into plastic worms (small).

TYING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put about ten wraps of the lead wire around the hook shank at the eye. It’s important to get the weight as close to the hook eye as possible. Wrap thread to the hook bend.
2. Tie in a small section of squirrel feathers at the hook bend to form mouth parts.
3. Strip two feathers down to the shaft, about two inches long. I use old hackle feathers from the trash. Tie in at the hook bend and have them curve upwards.
4. Make eyes from a piece of thick mono. I use 25# Mason. After I heat the momo to form two bulbs, I paint the eyes black, form the mono in a “V” and then tie them in at the hook bend using figure eight wraps. I also cement them at this point. This is a good time to add a rattle if you like.
5. I make a dubbing loop at this point and dub in about 1/4” of material back toward the hook eye.
6. I have prepared two claws from squirrel tail ahead of time. I tie them in along the side of the hook shank. I then tie in a piece of feather, fat part first. I tie in a three inch long section of pointed brown swiss straw. The point goes over the head.
7. At this point I apply a drop of “Water Shed” waterproofing liquid to the small section of dubbing ahead of the claws. I then form another dubbing loop and dub a heavy section back to about 1/2” of the hook eye or to where the lead wire ends and tie it off. I palmer my feather around the dubbing to form legs to the same point and then bring my swiss straw from the head and tie it in at the same place to form the thorax section of the shell.
8. I dub another section of rabbit fur, tying it off at the hook eye. I bring the swiss straw and tie it off to form the rest of the shell and cut it off about 1/8” beyond the hook eye. I tie in a couple of half hitches under the tail at the hook eye and it’s pretty much finished.
9. I often apply “Hard as Nails” nail polish to the swiss straw to form a shiny shell.

NOTES: "Let it dry for a day. When this critter hits the water it will sink with the tail down and the claws pointing up, a classic defensive posture. Bass and big trout will love this guy!"