by Rich Johnson FEBRUARY'S FLY: Crystal Egg Woolly Bugger The egg sucking leech is one of the most popular flies in Alaska. It is well known for success and versatility, being used for all species of salmon, trout and char. This pattern substitutes a crystal egg for the chenille head used in the egg sucking leech. This particular color pattern is popular for steelhead.
	Thread: 6/0 black & 3/0 white Hook: #4 3X-long streamer Egg Head: 7mm Crystal Egg Ball Lead: .030 Tail: Marabou, black Body: Chenille, black Sides: #21 Krystal Flash Body Hackle: Saddle, black
	Find the center of the crystal egg and run the hook point through the egg. Bring the egg to the front of the shank.
	Lead the shank and tie in the tail, chenille and body hackle as with a regular woolly bugger. Note: When you attach your thread, do not trim it. Leave a long thread tag at the rear of the fly.
	Wrap the chenille forward for the body. Leave a small space between the body and the crystal egg. Tie off and switch to the white thread.
	Using figure-eight wraps attach 4-6 strands of Krystal Flash on top of the shank, between the body and the egg.
	Bring the Krysal Flash down each side. Using the long thread tag to bind the strands in at the back of the body. Spiral the thread foward binding the stands along the body. Tie off and trim.
	Palmer the body hackle forward, placing each wrap over the thread wraps used to bind the strands of Krystal Flash. Place an extra wrap in front of the body, tie off.
	Half-hitch twice behind the Crystal Egg. Push the egg back over the thread wrap. Bring your thread forward, under the egg, to behind the eye. Half-hitch twice and whip finish.
	Color variations: White body and tail, with green KF, light grizzly hackle, green egg. Or, purple body, tail, hackle, pink KF, pink egg.
Previous Flies January: Tangle Lakes Teaser December: Bead-Head Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle
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