Ivy Pheasant Craw

For southeast Minnesota fly swap 2016.  Ivy being the dog that brought a pheasant home for my neighbor.  Neighbor being kind enough to let me uncoat the pheasant, tack the whole deal to a scrap of sheet rock and salt it down for a while.  Indispensable addition to tying shop; many uses.  

Basic concept is a fly that is kind of between a streamer and nymph and as such can be fished as either.  Or both depending on how you look at it.  Goal for trout fishing is a fly that dead drifts well, twitch drifts and also can be strip-retrieved.  Or in the case of carp, a fly that headstands and presents well on the bottom of the river or lake.  Long time ago I submitted a fly for this swap called a "symph" and it was kind of along same line but I like this one a lot better.  

I'm into deleting steps; a generalist.  At this point I like being in my shop and tying flies but I don't get a lot of enjoyment in tying complicated patterns.  No rib.  No full body hackle that needs pinning down.  These are the materials.  Dubbing, bead chain eyes, thread, wax, #8 hook, pheasant feathers.  The feathers for the tail/pincers are up by the pliers; those for the soft hackle collar are under the box of hooks.  You see many other options there too.

Only real care that needs to be taken is to strip off fibers and lash down the two tail feathers such that they both curve outward.  Soft loop is good.  You can set them right on top of the hook; no need try situate them on respective sides.  

Dub body.

Soft hackle collar and then a couple more turns of dubbing around eyes.  Whip finish in front of eyes.  Done.

Heavier eyes would be even better but the bead chain works okay for headstand.  This being great attribute  for carp fly as has been noted.

9/13 done; will get rest soon.  Thanks to RB for coordinating swap.