Now you can secure it with thread until you feel like it is really secure. I usually make a smooth thread base.

Wind the thread to the bend. Measure the bucktail to be twice the length of the hook shank. Cut a nice clump of bucktail (prep it first) and tie it in. I don’t want to go into great detail about how to cut and prep bucktail, but you want to cut the tips of the bucktail at and angle when tying it in. The reason being is you want it to have a taper. It will help cut down on the bulk.

Repeat the same step with the pink. Go a little lighter then you did on the white. Tie this one right in front of the white you ended on the shank. If you got the taper this should level it out without creating too much bulk. Once tied in wind back on top of the white and even the thread at the bend.

Tie in about 8-10 strands of flashabou. I usually wrap it around the thread and then tie it down. If you don’t know this step just tie it in your way.

Repeat the same step on the other side. Note: If you notice in the picture it doesn’t need to be fairly long, long enough to flare to push water.

Now tie in the flash and it needs to be a little longer then the collar. Tie in as much as you desire. I leave the flash part up to you. I don’t like too much, but enough to get their attention.

Tie in the hackle flash first and then the rayon chenille. Wind them to the back where everything else meets.

Now the only purpose for this chenille is to even out the body ( make sure you go long on the strand or you might run out). I don’t go into great detail how to do this, but what you want to do is wrap in the back until you get even with the top of the rattle, then wrap over the rattle and then do the same in the front. Just remember not to wrap up too close to the eye and crowd the eye. The hackle flash will do that.

Wrap the flash up going side by side leaving no space in-between. Make sure you palmer it as well. After you trim the excess, you can color the sides pink and the top olive. Use the broad side of the marker.

Trim a little of the hackle flash down to make room to glue the eyes. Add a little zap gel and set the eyes in place. Make sure when you press them down you don’t do it with your fingers or you will make the eye look cloudy. Press down with the end of a pen or something. Hold them in place for a minute. Then come back a few minutes later and press down again. This will really lock them in tight to the body.

Trim a little of the hackle flash down to make room to glue the eyes. Add a little zap gel and set the eyes in place. Make sure when you press them down you don’t do it with your fingers or you will make the eye look cloudy. Press down with the end of a pen or something. Hold them in place for a minute. Then come back a few minutes later and press down again. This will really lock them in tight to the body.