Michael,
As you might have read, we clearly write "He sometimes ribs the fly with flash twisted to a thread and continues the flash into the head and the eye of the hook", so yes, the original used flash.
But this version will last quite a lot longer - not least if you catch fish on it. The twisted flash is very vulnerable to wear and tear, and once that breaks the hackle also comes loose and the dubbed body is exposed. We have occasionally tied the fly using flash for a rib, but then use a monofilament beneath it for strength, and we sometimes incorporate a bit of flash in the final turns of thread on the head, but have omitted this in the fly shown.
Martin
