Bench Press - Legs for Days

In recent years, the growth and evolution of synthetic materials has invited alterations and improvements on already proven patterns. Taking a design and building upon it using new, unique materials is what keeps fly tying evolving.

Captain “Mad Mike” Benson, an established saltwater guide and fly tier, ties an excellent redfish fly: “Mad Mike’s Mud Minnow” or “The M4”. His Mud Minnow provided a solid blueprint for my derivation and served as the inspiration for my “Legs For Days” streamer. Altering Mike’s solid design with newly released synthetic materials has simply created another option to stock in your box.

Thanks Mike. I owe you a beer.

T.H. 2011

MATERIALS LIST

• Hook – Gamakatsu B10S (size #1)
• Eyes – Clear Cure Eyes set in Sunken Brass Barbells
• Flash – Iceabou
• Legs – Fly Enhancer Rubber Legs
• Tail – X-Select Marabou
• Under Body – Flat Diamond Braid
• Body – EP Tarantula Hairy Legs Brush
• Over Wing – Barred Magnum Rabbit Strip
• Head – Thread (Colored With Marker) and Clear Cure Goo Hydro

1. Seat a Gamakatsu B10S in the vise.

2. Start your thread behind the hook eye. Attach your dumbbell eyes 1/3 of the way down the hook shank. Secure the eyes with superglue.

3. Bring your thread to the rear of the hook and tie in a length of Iceabou.

4. Tie a pair of Fly Enhancer legs on either side of the hook shank.

5. Invert your hook. Line up the tips of two marabou feathers, cut, and tie in.

6. Tie in a length of EP Tarantula brush.

7. Repeat with a length Flat Diamond Braid.

8. Wrap your diamond braid to form an even underbody. Tie off behind the eyes.

9. Palmer your EP brush up the hook shank. Make sure to pull the fibers back while wrapping to prevent trapping any fibers. Tie off. Bring your thread to the front of the hook. Figure 8 wrap your braid through the eyes to clean up the head. Tie off the braid.

10. Cut a length of Barred Magnum Rabbit Strip. Tie in behind the hook eye and whip finish. Remove your hook from the vise. Pull the hide taught and push the hook point through the rabbit strip. Make sure your strip lays flush and even to the hook shank.

11. Coat the thread head with Clear Cure Goo Hydro. Cure with the light.

12. Finished . “Legs for Days”