Materials   Hook Tiemco 300, or any 6X long streamer hook, size 6-8 Thread: Yellow 170 denier flat nylon Body: Pearl sparkle braid (or any pearl color flash) Tail: Yellow marabou Underwing: White calf tail Wing One mallard flank dyed yellow Collar: Yellow deer hair Head: Same yellow deer hair cut full and shaped wide	Kelly Galloup's Zoo Cougar Kelly Galloup is widely known and recognized for his creative, innovative patterns. He’s produced a number of good videos on fishing technique as well as fly tying instruction. The Zoo Cougar is interesting because of its dual personality. It is designed as a floating fly, but Kelly fishes it beneath the surface with a sinking line. Here is what he has to say: “The Zoo Cougar has without a doubt been the most productive fly for really big trout I have ever fished. This fly was the firs of the floating fly concept and has still been the best of the bunch. A floating fly is a fly designed to be pulled under by the sinking line, as opposed to weighting the fly. This allows the fly to be kicked and pushed by the currents when it’s not being stripped, giving the fly a very real and erratic movement.” What I intend to do with this fly, which I believe will be mistaken for a scuplin, is to fish it through some deep pockets on the McCloud just before dark. Hopefully, Mr. Big Brown will seize the fly as it swims through the currents near the bottom.
Instructions Smash the barb. Cover the hook shank with thread. Tie in a tail of yellow marabou. It should be somewhat full, but not bulky. The tail should be tied in right above the back of the barb. Tie in the sparkle braid at the same spot, advance the thread to a point about 5/8” behind the eye, and wrap the braid forward. Tie it off where you left the bobbin. Tie in the calf tail at this spot. It should extend to about the tail tie-in point. Keep the material directly on top of the hook, and don’t let it spin around to the sides or bottom. At the same point tie in one dyed yellow mallard flank feather with the tips even with the marabou tail. It should be tied in so that the concave (dull) side is down. Stack a nice bunch of deer hair and spin it around the hook at the same forward point, forming a collar with the tips pointed to the rear. Now spin several bunches of hair in front of the collar; pack each bunch rearward before spinning the next bunch. Tie off at the eye and whip finish. Trim the head to a flat, arrow-head shape, so that the fly resembles a sculpin. Place a drop or two of head cement into the deer hair head. Now go fish this fishy-looking critter, and…. See ya on the creek...

Copyright 1998 by Granite Bay Flycasters unless otherwise noted.