.08

Fly: Ken Driedger, Photograph: Hans Weilenmann

Hook: Salmon 2/0-6
Thread: Unithread 6/0, Purple
Tail: Purple marabou short, about 1/2 inch long
Body: Black and pink acrylic yarns, woven
Hackle: Long, soft, ordinary Barred Rock, as long in the feather and the fiber as you can find, palmered over body, with the first wrap veiling the tail
Wing: Purple Marabou short, tied vertical, about 3/4 body length

The body is plumped up with a commercial nymph form, or tag ends of the yarns, doubled back and forth as the underbody. Fished damp, or full wet. Created under the unfluence... hence the name; .08 being the maximum blood alcohol content for driving in Canada, and many U.S.A. states. The fly undgergoes a startling transformation when wet, and ought not to be dismissed as a bad dream.

The strikes are hard, with very few short takes. If the maker uses 'genetic'grizzly, then one side of the feather should be stripped, to keep the barb count low. Larger .08's are known as "5-day benders", regular sized ones arealso known as "drunks", fancy ones are known as "Sp8's", and collectively,they aka as "Barflies"

Note: Excellent instructions for the parallel weave can be found in the latest reference book by Leeson and Schollmeyer.

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