Fly Tying Tutorial: The Burnt Chicken Fly Pattern

This fly-tying tutorial is brought to you by Mossy’s Fly Shop in Anchorage, Alaska, where the legendary advice on flies, gear, and techniques is hotter than their coffee. (907) 770-2666 or mbrown@mossysflyshop.com.

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If fly patterns had attitude, the Burnt Chicken would be the one strutting across the river wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket. It’s got flash, movement, and just enough unruly energy to make every cast feel like you’re picking a fight and winning.

The Burnt Chicken fly is pretty much a standard marabou intruder but with a bit more flash. While this pattern is most used for winter steelhead, it’s profile and movement prove to be great for just about all anadromous species. You can tie this pattern in a multitude of colors and weighted or blind. We decided to go with a more “General Practitioner” color scheme, even though that is not standard production option, because it works and it looks cool! Tie one up and Tie one on!

Tied By: Brian Davenport, Mossy’s Fly Shop, Photos By: Mike Brown, Mossy’s Fly Shop

Materials:

Shank: Aqua Flies 51mm Return Eye
Stinger Material: Hareline Intruder Wire Red
Hook: Aqua Talon Sz 1 (You can use sz 6-1 depending on what you are targeting and size of pattern)
Rear Prop: Ice Dub UV Orange
Rear Inner Shoulder: Angel Hair Red
Rear Collar: Marabou Orange
Body: Veevus Mini Flat Braid Pearl
Front Prop: Uce Dub UV Orange
Front Inner Shoulder: Angel Hair Red
Front Collar: Marabou Orange
Wings: Euro Hackle Tips Red
Thread: MFC GSP 100 Red

Step 1. Place you shank in the vice and start your thread. Using your intruder wire, loop on your hook and tie down to shank. Adjust your length so that the hook will line up to the tips of your marabou color. You will select a marabou plume and then visually look to make the length. Finish tying down your wire, fold back and tie down securely. You can glue the thread base if you would like.

Step 2. Using your Ice Dub, build a dubbing ball prop.

Step 3. Cut a clump of Angel Hair and place it in a dubbing loop. Spin the loop and then bush and pick out the trapped fibers till you have a thing center core.

Step 4. Using touching sweepback turns, make two wraps in front of the dubbing with you Angel Hair.

Step 5. Tie you marabou in by the tip and make two turns.

Step 6. Tie in your flat braid and make slight over lapping wraps forward. Leave your self appx 4 hook eye widths room behind the eye.

Step 7. Repeat Step 2

Step 8. Repeat Step 3 & 4

Step 9. Repeat Step 5

Step 10. Pick out two similar hackle tips. You want to tie them in, so the tips match up with the ends of the back station marabou tips. Tie them in and build head. Whip finish.