Muddler Trouble!

[ALG]

I have recently been trying to tie a muddler minnow and am having a bit of difficulty with the whole thing. The spud deer hair is okay but getting the turkey feather to stay in place is giving me trouble. Perhaps I am putting it together in the incorrect order? Could someone spell out the steps for me please or atleast give me some tips. Thanks for the help.

ALG

[Loren]

ALG

i recommend The American Fly Tying Manual by Dave Hughes (under $10). He gives step-by-step for the muddler and other flies and then lists a buch of std flies and their materials in order of tying.

1. Mustad 9672 hook
2. Tie in a Turkey piece for a tail
3. Wind body of gold tinsel from 1/4 of the hook back from the eye to the tail and back.
4. Tie an underwing of bucktail
5. Overwing of matched turkey quill sections (on future muddlers, I will treat them first with cement due to problems with splitting)
6. spin a couple of clumps of deer hair and clip to form a collar and tapered head loose enough to cause vibration when fished.

Loren

[The Ole Man]

ALG
Even though I have been tying for about 15 yrs., I have never tied a muddler. I have tied some marabou muddlers before, but not one with the mottled wing. Howsomever, I just received two videos that I got in an auction at www.flyshop.com. These are "My Favorite Fly's" by Poul Jorgensen. He ties a muddler in one of these videos. His wing procedure is this: He cuts a slip from a quill ( he used speckled hen rather than mottled turkey) that is double width ( twice as wide as you want each side to be). Then he coats the slip with Daves Flexament and lets it dry. You can also use a spray for this called Tuff Film or you can buy a mottled synthetic wing film and forget the glue. Anyway, after it is dry (the slip),he folds it, making a tent, an inverted v. Grasp the folded slip between left thumb and forefinger(assuming you are right handed)and position at the tie in point. Thumb and forefinger should be immediately behind tie in point and squeezing the v shut. The next step is the most important. Take the thread up over the wing twice with two soft loops -open loops not closed down on the wing and sort of slightly jammed between your thumb and fore finger. At this point, take the bobbin down below the hookshank- straight vertically down. Now pulling the bobbin straight down, tighten the loops to tie down the wing. The straight down vertical force below the hookshank to tighten thread loops when securing some mat'ls is useful for a number of tying operations. Tying down bucktail wings on streamers i.e or stacking different colors of bucktail in a multi color wing (little rainbow trout i.e or mickey finn). The point here is that the straight down vertical tightening of a soft loop does not impart the rotational torque that trys to roll your mat'ls. off the top of the hookshank. Then too, you will always have to keep your forefinger on the far side of the fly ready to apply force back towards yourself to keep your mat'ls. straightened up on the shank during certain tiedowns. I hope this helps or did I just leave with you with some dribble on your lip??.