Begin by locking the thread onto the hook approximately 1/3 of the way back from the eye.  This will position the wing in the thorax area of the fly and allow room for a dubbed head before tying off at the eye.  Be sure to wrap bare hook with thread to anchor the deer hair wing and prevent  twisting around the shank.  Try to keep the deer hair on the top of the hook shank.

Carefully select an appropriate amount of coastal deer hair or other fine comparadun deer hair – this is a size 16 fly – I am using about a 1/8” dia. clump. Clean and stack the hair and then tie down trying to keep the hair positioned on the top of the hook. 

Trim the butts as close as possible.  Take about 1/3 of the wing and pull back then take 1 or 2 wraps of thread to stand the hair up.  Continue with the next third and then the rest of the wing until all the hair is standing vertical to the hook shank.

Here is the finished wing.  Don't worry about a few stray hairs - we will tidy things up as we finish the rest of the fly.

Select an appropriate amount of straight Zelon for the tail.  Start tying down the tail at the base of the wing butts to create a smooth, tapered underbody.  Trim the tail (shuck) about  1/2 the length of the hook shank and prepare a dubbing rope – tight and fine.  The basic body thickness was created with thread so the dubbing is only needed for color.

The completed fly.  Be careful to minimize the dubbing!  This is a size 16 Baetis and the dubbing rope is only about twice the size of the 8/0 thread.  Leave a little room behind the wing and then make a few turns in front tight to the base to be sure the wing stands up straight.