The Deceiver is an old school baitfish imitation and nothing less than an instant classic. Developed decades ago by casting guru and hot shot fly fisherman Lefty Kreh, the Deceivers initially were made for saltwater use. Well… pretty soon pike and musky hunters embraced this long slender bug, and gave it swimming lessons in freshwater as well.

Originally the recipe calls for at topping of peacock herl – which gives this fly a classy look, but tends to look crappy after the first pike attack. You can substitute with peacock green flashabou or crystal flash – or you can just leave it out.

Anyway… the long saddle hackles combined with bucktail makes the deceiver a winner – and I wouldn’t leave home without it.

Here is my take on a pikey Deceiver:

Betty Blue Deceiver

Hook: Stinger

Tread: Green or chartreuse

Tail: First 2 royal blue saddle hackles, then 2 chartreuse and 2 grizzly. The inner feathers are longest, and the next are gradually shorter

Body: Red flash fibers and white bucktail

Front hackle: Chartreuse and Blue saddle hackle

Eyes: Glow plastic eyes glued on with Zap A Gap or similar sticky stuff