Light Cahill

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about a dozen hackle fibers and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Tie in wood duck fibers with 5 tight wraps in the wing position. Pull fibers upright and lash them with 5 tight wraps immediately in front of wing. Divide wing into 2 equal bunches and figure 8 tie to keep them divided. Secure with 5 tight wraps.

Wax thread with a light coat of wonder wax. Apply a thin amount of dubbing. Spread dubbing fibers out evenly on thread. Twist dubbing evenly on thread with thumb and forefinger.

Wrap dubbed thread evenly forward to the front end of the body. Tie off with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

Note: it is common to either over-or underestimate the dubbing amount. It is easy to add more dubbing or pinch off excess dubbing.

Select hackle for proper size and desired stiffness. Cut stem at junction with webby and stiff fibers. Strip away fibers exposing 2 to 3mm of stem. Tie in stem with 2 loose wraps to place, followed up with 3 to 5 tight thread wraps. Concave side of hackle is opposite of body.

Wind hackle evenly forward to 1mm behind hook eye. Tie off with 3 to 5 tight thread wraps. Cut off to break away excess hackle. Short or slippery hackles require hackle pliers while long hackles can be wound with fingers.

Whip finish head with 4 to 8 turns. Pull tag end firmly and cut off excess thread. Place a drop of head cement on knot and allow it to penetrate both the thread base and hackle stems.