Mudeye
Mudeye is the name Australians give to the nymph of the dragonfly, a large carnivorous insect that preys on smaller aquatic invertebrates. During the summer months, dragonfly nymphs break cover and crawl out onto dry land or along a reed stem before transposing into the winged adults. Trout will pick off the naturals as they leave the sanctuary of the lake bottom, so any imitation works best when fished around weed fringes or drowned timber. To add weight and help achieve the flattened body shape of the natural, a length of lead wire is secured on both sides of the hook shank before the dubbed body is applied. Threading green glass beads onto thick nylon monofilament forms the eyes. The ends of the nylon are then melted into a blob to hold the beads in place.
Weight:
Thick lead wire
Thread:
Olive
Hook:
Size 6-8 3X
Thorax:
Dyed olive rabbit fur
Legs:
Knotted olive feather fiber
Dyed olive rabbit fur
3 Take two slips of olive feather fiber, each containing three strands. Knot each slip once to suggest a joint and catch in on both sides of the body to form the rear legs.
IFix the hook and run the tying thread to opposite the barb. Take 2 inches (5cm) of thick, lead wire and fold it so the bend is a little way short of the first thread wraps. Secure with thread so the ends lie along either side of the shank.
2 Remove the waste ends of lead at the bend. Applying the lead wire in this way creates a wide, weighted underbody. Cover the lead wire with thickly dubbed olive rabbit fur.
4 Take another pinch of olive rabbit fur, dub it on. and wind on to form the first section of the thorax. Catch in two more legs, formed in the same way as the first pair, before adding another dubbed thorax section.
5 Wind the thread to the eye and catch in two glass beads attached to thick nylon monofilament. Catch in a slip of olive cock pheasant tail so that the butts project forward over the eye.
6 Remove the nylon ends and add the final thorax section. Pull the pheasant tail back between the eyes and secure with thread. Cast off. Reapply the thread behind the rear legs and fix the feather fibers. Cast off again and trim the fibers.
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