Bodkin / Patterns

Bread Fly

Terrestrial · Carp · Beginner · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook wide-gape, short shank, 6-10
  • Thread white 140-denier

Materials

  • Body White deer body hair, spun and trimmed (or white foam/sponge plug) (3-4 clumps)
  • Crust (optional) Tan/brown hair at top, or lighter-scorched edges (1)

How to tie it

  1. Cover the shank with thread and spin 3-4 clumps of white deer body hair, packing each tightly back. Deer hair traps air so the fly floats like real crust.
  2. Optionally stack a tan or light brown clump on top for the crust side.
  3. Whip finish, then comb out the hair and trim it with scissors and a razor into a ragged cube. Irregular, not neat; a perfect ball looks wrong among torn bread bits.
  4. Lightly scorch the edges with a lighter if you want a toasted-crust look.
  5. A pinched-on piece of white foam or sponge works as a faster-tying substitute.

Tying videos

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