The Mutant: A Fly That Breaks the Rules
Every so often, a fly comes along that doesn’t fit in any box. No mold, no matching hatch—just creativity at the vise. “The Mutant” is one of those flies.
Paul says it started with a discounted batch of Voodoo Fibers from BWC Flies and a slow day at the bench. The result? A pattern that doesn’t follow the rules. It resembles nothing in particular and might be two flies in one. It hasn’t been tested. It hasn’t been researched. It’s a mutant!
What’s in the Mix?
The Mutant is chaos on purpose:
- A misshaped glass bead for unpredictable water disturbance
- A simple poly yarn tail
- Two soft hackle collars
- An egg case
- A bulky possum fur body
- Four twitchy black rubber legs
- A wing made from fine micro Voodoo Fibers
It’s loud. It’s weird. It moves like crazy. And somewhere out there, a fish is going to smash it.
Why Tie It?
Because it’s fun.
Because you’re bored.
Because colour and movement matter more than perfection.
And when you’re done, hit it with a hair dryer to train the materials to sweep back and behave (yes, every fly tier should own one.)
The Mutant isn’t trying to be the next go-to pattern. It’s just a reminder that sometimes, tying flies is about experimenting, not replicating. Tie one. Toss it. See what happens.
Materials
- Hook: Curved Firehole size 4.
- Thread: Black 14/0 Griffiths Sheer.
- Weight: 10 turns .20 Lead free wire.
- Bead: Miss-shaped Red glass.
- Tail: Orange poly yarn uneven.
- Egg case: Orange crystal chenille
- Hackle: Mallee Fowl soft hackle.
- Legs: Four round black rubber.
- Body: Possum dubbing.
- Throat: Mallee Fowl.
- Wing: 5 Black/white Micro Voodoo Fibers.
Tying Instructions
- Slide on a misshaped glass bead.
- Add 10 tight wraps of .020 lead-free wire behind the bead.
- Start black thread behind the wire wraps and cover the hook shank.
- Tie in a poly yarn tail at the bend.
- Tie in and wrap the egg case (material of choice) just above the tail.
- Tie in Mallee Fowl feather and make 2–3 soft hackle wraps.
- Tie in black rubber legs, longer than the tail, facing backward.
Pro Tip: Tie on the legs in two pairs, then split them at the end.
- Create a dubbing loop with possum fur and dub a loose, bulky body.
- Tie in a throat (optional: another soft hackle or a dubbing brush).
- Tie in clumps of micro Voodoo Fibers on both sides and over the top, extending past the tail.
- Whip finish and cut the thread. Trim (but not too neatly).
- Use a hair dryer to sweep materials back and set the shape.
