I have eliminated the white face and added alternating brown hackles. I have many gifted friends who love to tie those gaudy bass bugs that really showcase their hair-stacking expertise. I dismissed those patterns as mere aesthetic exercises for a long time, on the disingenuous grounds that they simply weren't justified in nature. My position on that, I now admit, may have been motivated by a little jealousy too. While such bugs should be used with discretion, I have discovered, with increasing study and observation of the warmwater habitat, a rationale for their use.
Big moths differ from their smaller cousins in that they tend to stay alive longer on the water.
Even when their wings get wet, the larger species still continue to tremble for awhile, so a discreet retrieve is appropriate. I know that's a lot easier said than done. Perhaps some large version of Hewitt's Spider Skater might do a better job with these big moths, but it's not as much fun to tie. There are four species of Saturniidae, giant silkworm moths, that are common in the southern and eastern parts of the country. Rather than develop specific patterns, I think it may be more productive to just take inspiration from the colors and patterns of these beautiful insects and let our fancies run wild at the vise.