Bodkin / Patterns

Brown Sculpinator

Streamer · Trout · Smallmouth Bass · Intermediate · 3 versions

Reference Recipe

  • Hook 4XL streamer hook, 2-6
  • Thread Brown or olive 3/0

Materials

  • Eyes Lead dumbbell (1 pair, behind the eye)
  • Tail Brown permanent marker (grizzly-barred marabou, sparse)
  • Rib Copper/gold material (sparkle braid or wire)
  • Body Brown permanent marker (dubbing, tapered)
  • Dorsal Brown permanent marker (marabou over the top)
  • Collar/gills Brown permanent marker (1 webby hen saddle feather)

How to tie it

  1. Mount the hook, start thread, and lash a pair of lead dumbbell eyes on top a short way behind the eye so the fly rides hook-point up.
  2. At the bend tie in a sparse grizzly-barred brown marabou tail about one shank length long, kept thin since sculpins taper at the rear.
  3. Bind in the sparkle-braid rib, then dub a tapered brown body forward to just behind the eyes.
  4. Counter-wrap the rib forward in 5-6 turns for segmentation and secure.
  5. Tie in a brown marabou dorsal strip over the top (which rides up), then figure-8 dubbing around the eyes.
  6. Wind a webby brown hen saddle as a collar to suggest gills and broad pectoral fins, sweeping fibers back.
  7. Build a head, whip finish, and cement.

Other versions

2 more in the app: Fly Fish Food Tie, variant 1, Fly Fish Food Tie, variant 2.

Tying videos

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