A marabou-tailed, dubbed nymph with bead-chain eyes and a soft marabou shellback.
The PM Wiggler is a soft, mobile nymph with marabou at both ends of its construction: a tail and a folded shellback. This olive starting version follows the Dressed Irons Guild’s published materials.
Work through the numbered steps in order, using the materials list and written proportions as your guide.
01
Mount the eyes
Clamp the hook and secure black bead-chain eyes crosswise near the front with figure-eight thread wraps. Cover the shank with olive thread.
Bench note Leave a clear eye and enough space for the final head.
02
Tie in the marabou
At the bend, attach a sparse olive grizzly marabou tail. Keep a second marabou section attached at the same point as a loose working length for the shellback.
Bench note Keep the tail shorter than a full hook shank.
03
Dub the body
Blend the two olive dubbings and build a softly tapered body from the bend toward the eyes. Leave the bead chain exposed.
Bench note A picked-out surface adds movement without making the body bulky.
04
Fold the shellback
Draw the loose marabou forward over the top of the dubbing, secure it just behind the eyes, and trim its waste. Pick out a few dubbing fibers underneath.
Bench note Do not pull so tightly that the shellback flattens the body.
05
Finish behind the eyes
Make a compact thread head around the eyes, whip finish and clear the hook eye. Check that the tail and body fibers can move freely.
Bench note Avoid covering the bead-chain eyes with thread.
Beyond the bench
On the water.
Try it as a subsurface searching fly for trout or steelhead. Let the soft marabou move between short retrieves or along a drift; adjust weight and color to the water.
