Tequeely

Pattern Description:

The Tequeely has been around for qui te some time, but I am afraid I know, and can find very little about it’s creator or inception. What I do know is that it’s a great shallow running streamer pattern, it’s easy to cast and on the right day fish go bananas for it. This fly is typically tied with the wide spread rubber legs, fat crystal chenille body, full marabou tail and but a small brass bead head for weight. The original version gets the job done, but I like to use a slightly larger bead and a few wraps of lead to keep the fly down a bit in the water. The bulk and volume of the Tequeely keep it from sinking quickly, but the added weight keeps it from skimming the surface when i am pounding the banks. I still carry some with just the smaller bead, just in case the fish want to look up at it, but for the most part have switched to the slightly heavier version shown here. As to what this fly imitates…God knows. Maybe fish like to snack on rubber legged hot dogs from time to time.

Materials Needed:
Hook: Daiichi 2220 or TMC 5263 #2-8
Bead: 7/32″ Gold Brass Bead, Original Version uses 5/32″ Gold Brass Bead
Weight: .030 Lead Wire
Thread: 3/0 Mono or UTC 140 Denier Orange or Black
Tail: Yellow over black over yellow Marabou
Body: Large Copper Crystal Chenille, twisted together with Medium Pearl Cactus Chenille.
Legs: Medium Yellow Rubber Legs, 3 Sets of two

Step 1
Start by putting the bead on the hook and sliding it up to the eye. Make eight or ten turns of lead wire around the shank and break off the stub ends. Push the lead wraps up into the back of the bead. Start the thread behind the lead wraps and make a smooth thread base back to the bend. Wrap the thread forward to the bead, crosshatching the shank with thread wraps to create a ragged base. Be sure to overwrap the lead wraps with thread as well. Return the thread to the bend of the hook.


Step 2
Select a yellow marabou feather and preen the tip together. You don’t want an entire feather here so trim out the bottom half. Measure the feather so it is equal to the hook shank length. Tie the yellow marabou feather in at the bend with several tight turns of thread. The tail should be a shank length long.


Step 3
Select a sparse black marabou feather and trim the bottom half away. You can get an idea from this photo how sparse we need this feather to be.


Step 4
Tie the black feather in at the bend, right on top of the base of the yellow one. Make sure the tips of the black feather meet up with the tips of the yellow feather.


Step 5
Select another yellow marabou feather and prepare it as you have the other two. Lay it in on top of the black feather and tie it down at the bend. You should have a distinct black stripe in the yellow tail.


Step 6
Lift the butt ends of all three marabou feathers up and move the thread forward over the shank to just behind the lead wraps.


Step 7
Lay the butt ends of the marabou down against the shank and tie them down right behind the lead wraps. Tying the butts down like this, without overlapping them onto the lead wraps will assure an even underbody.


Step 8
Trim the remaining butt ends of the marabou feathers off flush at the back of the lead. Wrap the thread in tightly spaced turns over the marabou along the shank back to the bend. Tie in a looped section of the copper chenille. Tie the loose ends to the shank just in front of the tail. I like the loop to be about 6 inches long.


Step 9
Tie in a single strand of the pearl chenille at the base of the tail as well. The pearl chenille should be as long as the copper chenille loop.


Step 10
Move the thread forward about 1/4 of the shank and tie in a double strand of yellow rubber legs. I like to leave the strands attached to each other for the moment as it makes them easier to control. I tie the rubber legs in using X-wraps, and this photo shows the first three turns going diagonally across the legs.


Step 11
Make three more turns going diagonally across the legs in the opposite direction of the first wraps to square the legs to the hook. The legs should be at ABOUT a right angle to the shank.


Step 12
Move forward a fourth of a shank length at a time and tie in a total of two more sets of legs using the same technique.


Step 13
Move the thread to just behind the bead. Pull all three strands of chenille straight down at the hook bend.


Step 14
Roll all three strands in your fingertips, coiling them together into a single cord. Don’t be afraid to really twist it up so that the three strands appear as one.


Step 15
While maintaining the twist, wrap the chenille cord forward a couple of turns to the back of the first set of legs. Pull the legs back along the side of the fly and continue wrapping the chenille forward.


Step 16
Continue wrapping the chenille all the forward to the back of the bead and tie it off with several firm thread wraps.


Step 17
Clip the chenille and build a smooth thread head to cover the butts. Whip finish and clip the thread. Add a drop of head cement to the thread wraps.


Step 18
Use the tips of your scissors to separate the leg strands. Trim the legs so they are all about a shank length long.


Step 19
Add mustard, relish and maybe a pickle on the side.