Bodkin / Patterns

Brent's Electric Pumpkin Head

Nymph · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Tyer Recipe

  • Hook 3XL streamer, 8
  • Thread Black 6/0

Materials

  • Bead Hot orange bead (7/64" (medium))
  • Lead wire (0.020", ~10 turns)
  • Crosscut rabbit strip hair Olive rabbit zonker strip (small pinch (tail))
  • Ice Dub Holographic olive ice dub (pinch, full length of brush)
  • Ice Dub UV light olive ice dub (pinch, rear of brush)
  • Ice Dub Sunburst orange (pinch, centre of brush)
  • Ice Dub UV hot orange ice dub (pinch, front of brush)
  • Extra-fine wire Silver wire (1 length (dubbing brush))

How to tie it

  1. Slide the hot orange bead onto the streamer hook and take about ten turns of 0.020 lead wire behind it to lock it in place and add undulating weight. Start the black thread and secure the lead so nothing slides back.
  2. Pinch a small bunch of hair from the olive crosscut rabbit strip, pull out most of the underfur, keep the guard-hair tips, and tie in a tail no longer than about a shank-length. It should not overpower the fly.
  3. Tie in the extra-fine silver wire at the rear for the dubbing brush and half-hitch.
  4. Lay the Ice Dub along the thread (dubbing table, loop, or block): a thin run of holographic olive along the entire length, UV light olive toward the rear, sunburst orange in the centre, and UV hot orange at the front so it blends into the bead. Keep everything sparse.
  5. A touch of dubbing wax on the wire helps; fold the wire over the top, trap the dubbing, and spin it into a brush.
  6. Brush the finished rope out with a stiff brush so the fibres stand off the wire.
  7. Wrap the brush forward from the tail to the bead, preening the fibres rearward with each turn so they flow back and build a tapered profile. Take your time here.
  8. Tie off behind the bead and whip finish.
  9. Pick out any trapped fibres with a bodkin, then sweep the whole body back with a stiff brush.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns