Bodkin / Patterns

Black Spider

Terrestrial · Trout · Grayling · Beginner · 3 versions

Classic Recipe

• Hook wet fly / spider hook, down-eye, 12-16
• Thread brown or black (waxed) 8/0

Materials

• Body Well-waxed brown or black tying silk (full length of shank)
• Hackle Soft black feather from a cock starling neck (or black hen) (1 feather)

How to tie it

1. Run the well-waxed silk from behind the eye to above the barb and back forward. The waxed silk body is the whole body, kept very slim.
2. Tie in a soft black starling neck feather by its tip at the head.
3. Take 2 to 2.5 turns of hackle (Stewart specified this; with dense modern feathers one turn may suffice) so the fibres splay like spider legs.
4. Secure, clip the stem, stroke the fibres back and around.
5. Build a small head, whip finish and varnish.

Other versions

2 more in the app: Lucian Vasies, Gregg Dressing (1940).

Tying videos

• Black Spider — Geoff Johnston Fly-fishing and Fly Tying (YouTube)
• Black Spider — Davie McPhail (YouTube)
• Black Spider — Dr Alex Ties (YouTube)

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