This is a nice little fly that caught winter steelhead for me, and it is one that you will have fun tying and adapting to your own style if you give it a go.
I have concentrated on tying and fishing Intruder style flies for about six months now, a drop in the bucket of people who have tied and fished these flies for decades, but we all must follow our own tying evolution in the order we may. Late to the party, yes. But when I go in I go all in, and while this fly does not meet my new criteria as a real Intruder, still it is an effective fly and will often elicit more solid takes than a much larger fly.
Achieving a distinct thorax and butt section on a fly is one thing if the fly is 4” long, but it is far more difficult to achieve if the fly is only 2.5” long.
Intruder Essentials Cover
I invite you to check out Intruder Essentials to see how I define the Intruder and a showcase of two dozen of my original Intruders. Trey Combs wrote a wonderful Foreword to this book, and If you are a person who likes to have something tangible beside you at the fly bench, this will be a good reference, I dearly hope. Meanwhile, enjoy yourself indoors and on the water, stay safe, and look to the future.
Jay Nicholas
Eyes: Omit from this small fly
Shank: OPST
Wire: Senyos Intruder Wire or #30 Fireline
Hook: Gamakatsu Octopus
Butt: ProSportfisher American Possum, Kingfisher blue
Body: Pearl Diamond Braid, Root beer
Thorax: Extra Select Bright Purple Marabou
Thorax enhancer: Mirage lateral Flash
Wings: Blue grizzly saddle feathers (call or email shop for availability)
Thorax finish: Orange Grizzly or Guinea ex select marabou
