Bodkin / Patterns

Apache Lady

Nymph · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Tyer Recipe

  • Hook 2x-long nymph, #10-16
  • Thread Black 6/0 or 70 denier

Materials

  • Glass bead Red bead (1 (mid-body))
  • Golden pheasant tippet Natural pheasant tail fibers (~10 fibers (tail))
  • Rooster hackle Brown (or grizzly) rooster hackle (2 feathers, rear one undersized)
  • Peacock herl Natural peacock herl (2 strands (body, both halves))

How to tie it

  1. Slide the red glass bead onto the hook and park it out of the way; start black thread mid-shank and lay a base back to the bend.
  2. Cut about 10 golden pheasant tippet fibers with both black bars showing and tie in a tail at the bend.
  3. Tie in an undersized brown hackle at the rear (barbs barely more than one hook gap so the gape stays open), concave side toward the hook, and wrap 3 turns; tie off and trim, cleaning up any forward-pointing fibers.
  4. Tie in two peacock herls and wrap the rear half of the body forward to the middle of the shank; tie off but save the herl.
  5. Build a small thread dam, whip finish by hand behind the bead position, and cut the thread.
  6. Slide the red bead up against the rear body and restart the thread in front of it, adding a small dam in front of the bead.
  7. Re-tie the same peacock herls in front of the bead and wrap the front half of the body to match the rear.
  8. Tie in a properly sized brown hackle (barbs a little longer than the hook point) concave side toward the hook, and wrap 3-4 turns. Err on the side of under-hackling.
  9. Pull the fibers back just enough to stand perpendicular, build the head, whip finish, and cement.

Tying videos

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