MATERIALS:

• Hook: size 6 standard nymph hook, down-eye
• Thread: black 6/0
• Tail: sparse black deer hair under red flash (flash = braided tinsel, combed out)
• Underbody: peacock herl
• Legs: rubber strands, alot like Silli-legs
• Body: thin strip of black closed-cell foam (available in sheets as "Fun Foam" or some such), cut to size as follows: approximately 2 inches by 0.3 inches

TYING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Secure hook and thread at eye; wrap thread to bend in hook then back up 2 to eye.
2. Tie in 10-15 strands of flash at bend, flash extends one hook-shank length beyond bend.
3. Tie in sparse deer hair tail in middle of hook and wrap back to bend (okay if deer hair flairs...it'll get pressed down by the foam body later); hair about the same length as flash.
4. Tie in 4-5 strands of peacock herl; wrap thread forward to eye.
5. Wrap peacock herl around hook shank to eye, tie off, and cut excess.
6. Tie in strip of foam at it's half-way point, as close to the hook eye as possible; WRAP FIRMLY 3 times (try to keep it centered extending back and forward from the eye).
7. While pulling the portion of the foam extending back towards the bend, make three segments in the foam by pulling the thread back a little and making three firm wraps at each segment...the last segment wrap should be close to the bend in the hook.
8. Cut foam behind the last segment at bend in hook into a point.
9. Wrap thread back to middle segment and tie in two pieces of rubber legs in an X extending slightly less than an inch from each side of the fly.
10. Wrap thread back to last segment near bend in hook.
11. Pull forward part of foam firmly back over the segmented body and rubber legs, and securely wrap with thread..tie off using the Dave Whitlock zap-a-gap whip finish...cut remainder of foam behind the tie-off to make a little tail that sticks up (will help the fly dive and wobble).

NOTES: "This fly is a descendent of the Mud Dauber, a fly tied by Jack Ellis of Louisiana for redfish. It's not unlike a fancy foam spider...I've had great luck with this fly for smallmouth bass at a local reservoir, by tossing it near docks or deadfall (any cover, really) and letting it rest, eventually giving it just a little wiggle or short strip to make it dive. The fly dives, but not deeply, only an inch or so into the surface film. Fish it like a slider or diving bass bug. I haven't tied it in smaller sizes, but I'm certain it would be a great sunfish fly, too. It has done well in larger sizes in saltwater for stripers on the Chesapeake Bay. Black and chartreuse have been the two best colors for me (the instructions are for a black fly), although bright blue for some reason has also done well for smallmouth on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. It can be tied in any color combination or size you like."