Lefty's Deceiver

Tied by Markus Potgieter

Demo Deceiver Tied by Markus

Tying instructions

1. Take the tread and position it above the barb of the hook and tie in flash, which should extend a little beyond the saddle hackle. Then tie in saddle hackle. The hackle can face in or out, your choice
2. Dress the shank with chenille or dubbing, remember to leave space for the head
3. Tie in some buck tail in a series of layers (depending how sparse you want the fly to be) on the top of the hook and below creating a flat wide profile Flash can be added in between buck tail.
4. Cut the buck tail at a taper to build up head and stack next layer The top layers should extend to the middle of the saddle hackle and on the under be the length of the shank.
5.Flash can be tied in on the under side to create belly shine or red hackle fibre to give the impression of the Gills
6. Six strand of Peacock herl on top can add a touch of class
7. Nail polish can be used to colour the head before applying Epoxy.
8.Doll eyes can be stuck on behind the head or stick on eyes can be stuck on the head itself.

Lefty Cray originally tied this fly and it's more a style of tying than a particular pattern.
This fly can be tied to imitate just about any small fish and if fished slowly it can also resemble a squid. It is an internationally recognized fish catcher both off shore and for land based fly fishers. South African fly fishermen hold it in high esteem for both fresh water species such as Tiger Fish and countless salt-water species. For me this fly has resulted in my biggest Shad as well as Kingie. If there are fish around and you just can't seem to connect, try a Deceiver. It's also a good low light or dirty water fly because it pushes a lot of Water.

Winning Fly Tied by Ken Acton