Bodkin / Patterns

Brown Owl

Wet Fly · Trout · Grayling · Beginner · 1 version

Classic Recipe

• Hook North country spider, 14-16
• Thread Orange silk Pearsall's or 8/0

Materials

• Body Orange silk (bare, slim)
• Head Peacock herl (1-2 turns)
• Hackle Brown owl sub (hen pheasant) (1 turn)

How to tie it

1. Start orange silk (or 8/0) and lay a slim, sparse base along the shank.
2. Wrap a bare orange silk body forward to the thorax, keeping it thin and letting the silk show.
3. Tie in 1-2 strands of peacock herl and wrap a small herl head/thorax.
4. Tie in a hen pheasant neck feather (the modern sub for owl) and take just one soft turn as a sparse spider hackle.
5. Whip finish with a small head and cement.

Tying videos

• Brown Owl — Robert Smith (YouTube)
• Brown Owl — William FlySpoke (YouTube)
• Brown Owl — Lindsay Simpson Fly Fishing (YouTube)

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