The Big Ugly, a.k.a "The Dead Chicken"

[Kansas Fly Fisher]

I'm trying to find the pattern recipe and/or piture of the dead chicken which I've been told is also called the big ugly. I've searched the forum and found several references to it but no recipe. Can anyone help out a poor sole?

Thanks . . . John

[Danoinark]

John

Steve Smith and I were using those at Roaring River on Friday. I loved fishing it. These were size 8 or 10.

I know he can probably post it. But It uses (I think I have this right) a couple of stand of peacock herl for the body, some golden badger hackle for the tail, and he overhackles gold badger the length of the hook shank. These were tied with black thread. I have a chewed up one at home and I could take a picture of it this evening and send it to you. I also thought (that's not good for me ) that it was in that first swap.

Dano

[Phil Lilley]

The dead chicken fly I've seen is exactly like a griffin's gnat except tied on a bigger hook. The big ugly uses black foam tied on the shank then big, webby hackle palmered over it. They really are 2 different flies.

[Steve Smith]

Dan; I’d appreciate a photo. My camera doesn’t do well on a small fly. The Big Ugly [A.K.A Dead Chicken] was my early attempt to tie my first dry fly. I didn’t have a clue how to “size” hackle or to palmer it. The result was an over hackled; really ugly fly that caught trout well on Roaring River and Taneycomo. My friends thus dubbed it the “Big Ugly” accordingly and I couldn’t tie enough of them. The materials include a dry fly hook sized to the hackle, peacock herl, and gold badger hackle. Gold badger hackle usually has a black center and gold edges. Silver badger works well too, but gold is better. Size your hackle a little bigger than the hook gap, and tie onto the back of the hook with the dull or inside curve of the hackle towards you. This will cause the hackle to orient itself straight up or slightly towards the eye when you palmer forward. Be sure to catch a few barbells of the hackle feather when you tie it in, as this will create a short badger tail. Next tie in two strands of peacock herl. Carefully twist the herl with the black tying thread as you wrap the herl body [making a rope of herl] and tie off leaving enough room for a head. Then palmer the hackle forward in very close wraps, create a small thread head and cement. I tie these up to size 8 and my friends generally like them as big as I can tie. Fish it just like you would a Crackleback. Float it over the feeding lane, and then jerk under to strip back.

[Danoinark]

Steve...I messed up. I edited your post instead of hiting reply. Can you post the recipe information again....*sigh*. Phil is going to fire me.

WHEW..nevermind I got it back

Dano

[Danoinark]

Steve, I will get you and John a photo out tonight.

Dan

[Terry Beeson]

Steve...I messed up. I edited your post instead of hiting reply. Can you post the recipe information again....*sigh*. Phil is going to fire me.

Just use the insanity plea.... I'll vouch for ya....

[Danoinark]

Terry,

I'd probably plead guilty anyway ..

[Kansas Fly Fisher]

Thanks Steve and Dan. I'm going to try and tie some up tomorrow. There was suppose to be one in the first swap but the tyer had to bow out at the last minute.

John

[Danoinark]

John

I looked through my first swap flys a bit ago and noticed it wasn't in there.

Dan