Palmered Circus Peanut Articulated Streamer

The circus peanut is an excellent pattern and a great fly to have in your box. It is a very simple and is quick and easy tie. This pattern is essentially a super woolly bugger, being that its basically 2 tandem woolly buggers with legs and a dumbell eye. If you can tie a woolly bugger, than you can definitely tie this fly!

 

Hook: Partridge Sea Streamer – Size 2
Thread: Superfly Super Thread 3/0 – Dark Olive
Tail: Fluffy Marabou – Dark Olive
Body: Schlappen – Olive
Body: Estaz – Olive
Body: UTC Wire – Olive, Brassie
Body: Barred and Speckled Crazy Legs – Dark Olive
Eyes: Lead Dumbell Eyes
Articulation: Dacron Backing – 30lb.
Articulation: Brass Beads – 3/16”

 

Attach your thread and form a thread bass back to the hook bend. Line up the tips of 2 marabou feathers and measure about the length of the shank. Capture with a pinch wrap and bind down, wrapping towards the eye. Leave a gap behind the eye and trim excess. Put a good base of wraps over the marabou and return thread to the gap.

 

Capture some wire and bind to the shank with thread. Select a schlappen feather and preen back some barbs exposing the tip and tie down. Lastly, tie in a section of estaz. Make sure all of your materials are bound tight and wrap thread forward leaving a space behind the eye.

 

Wrap the estaz away from your towards the eye with a bit of space between wraps. Capture with a few turns of thread and trim excess.
Now with the schlappen, again wrap away from you towards the eye with even spacing. You can use the estaz wraps as a guide.
Lastly, wrap your wire towards you, the opposite of the schlappen. Work the wire back and forth between the barbs locking the stem in place. Capture and tie off, trimming excess.

 

Tear off 2 full strands of legs, and capture the middle of them on the near side of the fly with two turns.
Pull the forward facing section over the shank and backwards and tie down. Put a good number of tight wraps over the legs to hold secure.
Grab both legs and without stretching too much, pull back and trim evenly about the extended length of the entire section.
Whip finish and cement the thread.

 

Tie in thread on a second hook and build a slight base down the shank. I am tying these underneath the shank for the fly to ride hook-point down. Loosely wrap a couple turns in an a figure 8 to place your eyes, then continue to wrap tighter in a figure 8 to lock in place. When tight, wrap a good amount of securing wraps on top of the eyes (under the shank) around the figure 8 to secure tightly. Secure in place with super glue or cement

 

Select a section of backing (or wire if you prefer) with 5 inches usually being more than enough. Tie in one of the ends very tightly and comprehensively, leaving some space behind the eye. In order to make sure it is secure, double over the backing towards the bend and wrap rearwards. Trim excess.
(I prefer backing, although it may not have the life wire may have, because if tied too tightly, or even from wear and tear, wire can become kinked and therefore breaks. Where as with backing, between the hook points, eyes and materials, it is likely in my opinion that something else will break or fall apart well before the backing will rot or give out on you.)

 

Thread the backing through a bead or 2, then through the eye of the hook you just completed, and then through the beads again.
Tie in the other end of backing so that the beads are semi tight. Personally, too tight is better than too loose because you will avoid the fly tangling with itself, however you want just enough slack to allow some rear swiveling for movement.
With that in mind repeat step 6, binding down and doubling over the backing.

 

***This is an optional step
Personally, I like to tie in a little material at the rear of the front shank just to fill in and cover the void created by the articulation.
Take a single marabou feather and measure the gap. Place the stem flat on the shank and wrap, allowing the marabou barbs to wrap around the bend and trim the excess.

 

At this point, simply repeat steps 2-4 but only trim the tips of the legs to allow for more movement.

 

Tie in a section of estaz. Bring the thread to just behind the eye of the hook. Wrap the estaz once behind the eye, and then wrap a single turn around each side of the dumbell eyes. Finally, wrap 2 to 3 times in front of the eye and tie it off. Trim the excess and put some extra wraps in for good measure. Whip finish and cement the thread and your fly is complete!