Fly Tying Inventory
Crystal Killer
Crystal Killer is a bugger variation from Utah for stillwater trout, usually credited to Byron Gunderson of Fish Tech in Salt Lake City, although Byron told Cheech that his wife Deette developed it. Instead of a marabou tail it carries a generous bunch of pheasant tail fibers, ahead of a purple Estaz body, palmered hackle and a copper brown wire rib. Change the chenille or the pheasant tail for other colors. Red, purple, olive and peacock are the popular choices. Tied on a size 8 hook.
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Materials
UTC Ultra Wire, Copper Brown, small
Copper Brown · Small
Spirit River Estaz Petite Chenille, purple, 10 mm
Purple · 10 mm
Brown saddle hackle (Whiting Eurohackle Saddle)
Brown
How to Tie the Crystal Killer
- 1
Step 1
Mount the hook, start the thread behind the eye and spiral it back to the bend.
- 2
Step 2
Pull a generous bunch of fibers from a pheasant center tail and even the tips.
- 3
Step 3
Tie the bunch in at the bend with the tips out behind the hook for the tail, leaving the butts pointing forward over the shank.
- 4
Step 4
Bind the butts down along the shank to build an underbody, trimming anything left at the front.
- 5
Step 5
Tie in the copper brown wire at the base of the tail and let it trail behind the hook.
- 6
Step 6
Tie in the Estaz at the same spot and bring the thread forward. Wrap the Estaz forward in touching turns, tie it off behind the eye and trim it.
- 7
Step 7
Tie in the saddle hackle behind the eye and palmer it back through the body to the tail.
- 8
Step 8
Wrap the wire forward through the hackle to lock the stem down. Tie it off behind the eye, then trim the wire and the hackle tip.
- 9
Step 9
Whip finish behind the eye and trim the thread.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqVe7R8WrGA
Credit: Byron Gunderson / Fly Fish Food