The Big Dawg

The name of this fly, "The Big Dawg," just seems fitting for this fly. I've tied this pattern mostly on a big 7/0 saltwater hook for the front hook, but living over 700 miles away from the closest ocean, 7/0 hooks aren't easy to come buy, so for this demo I have used a 5/0 musky hook. The great thing about this pattern is that although it has a huge profile, it doesn't have a lot of weight to it, which makes casting a little easier. Jimmy from Dude Water ( http://dudewater.blogspot.com/ ) has one of these that he is going to throw at some musky in Minnesota in a few weeks so hopefully we will get a picture of it in the mouth of a musky!

Materials: Schapplen, flash, flat braid, hot melt glue, tube fly tube, 30 lb. bite wire, Steve Farrar's flash blend, mirage flash, yak hair, spinner bait spoons, eyes, tube fly head, holographic eyes, super glue.

Tools: Vise, scissors, bobbin, wire cutters, hot glue gun, whip finish tool.

Step 1: Tie in flash off the back of the rear hook.

Step 2: Tie in a piece of flat braid.

Step 3: Wrap the flat braid up to 1/4" behind the eye of the hook.

Step 4: Tie in 4-6 schapplen feathers 1/4" behind the hook eye. Whip

              finish and apply head cement.

Step 5: Attach bite wire as you would a stinger hook. Slide a tube

              fly tube onto the wire.

Step 6: Tie down the bite wire on the hook shank of the front hook.

Step 7: Fold the wire over and make sure the thread wraps are secure.

Step 8: Tie in Steve Farrah's flash bend down at the midpoint of

              the material.

Step 9: Repeat step 8 but on the bottom of the hook shank.

Step 10: Fold front half over on the top and bottom and tie in

                a piece of flat braid.

Step 11: Repeat step 3, but stop 1/2" behind the eye of the hook.

Step 12: Apply hot melt glue to the fibers so that they keep a good
                profile in the water better.

Step 13: Trim the edges of the hot glue.

Step 14: Repeat steps 8-11.

Step 15: Repeat step 12

Step 16: Repeat steps 8-10 with the darker colors on top. and apply
                hot melt.

Step 17: Tie in three strands of mirage flash to either side. Whip finish and clip

                the thread.

Step 18: Using hot melt glue, glue spinner bait spoons to either side of the fly.

Step 19: Using super glue, glue the rubber tube fly head overtop the spoons.

Step 20: Using super glue, glue holographic eyes to either side of the head.

Finished Fly

Finished Flies (same pattern different colors)