Simplified Fly Tying: The Tequeely
The Tequeely is one of those flies that looks a little ridiculous in the vise but absolutely comes alive in the water. Between the rubber legs, flashy body, and flowing marabou, it’s a fly that fish seem to have a hard time ignoring.
The good news is it’s also surprisingly simple to tie. If you can tie a Wooly Bugger, you can tie a Tequeely.
Here’s how to do it:
Tequeely Materials
Tying a Tequeely requires pretty standard materials, nothing too fancy is required.
- Streamer Hook
- Any long shanked, Wooly Bugger style hook here works well
- Conehead
- Experiment with different weights
- Marabou
- Two colors of choice, traditionally black and yellow
- Whatever you choose, contrast is great here- one bright color paired with a darker color
- Estaz
- Any flashy chenille will work here as well
- Rubber Legs
- “Round rubber” works best here
Tequeely Tying Steps
Tie in Marabou Tails
Just like the Wooly Bugger, start off by tying in marabou as tail feathers. You can go with any color you want, but the Tequeely should have two contrasting colors. The traditional pattern calls for black and yellow, which is what I typically tie these guys in.
Like any fly that has marabou tails (like the Wooly Bugger), measure them out so they’re about a hook length. This helps the fly stay proportional and prevents tails that are too long and prone to fouling up or too short and stubby.
I like to tie the stems in along the shank vs cutting it off towards the shank of the hook. This virtually guarantees the feathers will stay in place. Also, it gives the fly a little bit of bulk to the body, which I personally prefer. It might depend on the size of the fly you’re tying, but it all comes down to personal preference so do what you have confidence in.
Tie in Estaz and Rubber Legs
With the estaz, tie in near the bend of the hook and set aside. It helps a lot to peel off some of the fibers to all you have left is the thin core material.
The rubber legs are the highlight with the Tequeely. I prefer the “round rubber” type of legs. Sili legs work well too, but the stiffness of round rubber helps separate the legs a little bit and gives the fly a better profile in my opinion. Sili legs tend to meld together in the water since they’re a little more pliable and are a little trickier to work with in this fly.
Whichever legs you choose, tie in 3 or 4 sets of legs (2 legs each unseparated is great) along the shank. Try to space them out evenly and tie them in so they stick out horizontally. This can be a little finicky, but placing the legs on top of the shank and using “X wraps” really helps out. It might take some finessing, but as long as those legs are sticking outwards and not directly backwards, it’ll get the job done.
Wrap Estaz
After the legs are tied in, wrap the estaz along the shank. You’ll have to maneuver the material around the legs, which isn’t a big deal- just make sure you don’t trap any of those legs. They’re the stars of this show and we gotta let them dangle!
Finish the Fly
After a nice whip finish and maybe a drop of glue, the fly is essentially finished. If you use round rubber and the legs are still stuck together, grab a bodkin and separate those out.
You can trim the legs to any length you’d like, I prefer to keep them pretty long. Those things are meant to dangle, let them dangle!
Tequeely Tips
Tie Them Big
Between the rubber legs, estaz, and marabou, there’s a lot going on with the Tequeely- which is exactly the point. I actually prefer tying a lot of these in bigger sizes (2s and 4s are my go-to’s) because they create a larger profile and push a little more presence in the water.
Especially in stained water, low light, or heavier current, bigger Tequeelys are easier for fish to find. These flies aren’t exactly subtle. They’re meant to grab attention and create a reaction strike as much as anything else.
Longer legs help too. The extra movement gives the fly a buggy look underwater that fish seem to have a hard time ignoring. Don’t stress too much about making them perfectly even either. As long as the legs are moving and the fly has some profile to it, it’ll get the job done.
Let Them Work
After you tie a bunch of these and actually start fishing them, you’ll realize pretty quickly that the Tequeely does a lot of the work for you. As flashy and chaotic as the fly looks, I actually fish it pretty slowly a lot of the time.
My favorite way to fish these is casting them upstream and letting them dead drift naturally through the current. The rubber legs and marabou move on their own, so the fly has plenty of action without you needing to do a ton of work.
Another reason to like the Tequeely- they’re easy to tie and easy to fish!