Bodkin / Patterns

Bullet Head Skwala

Dry Fly · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

House Of Fly dressing

  • Hook UMPQUA U-SERIES U203

Materials

  • EGG SACK ICE DUB BLACK
  • BULLET HEAD Natural elk hair
  • WING Natural elk hair
  • UNDERWING MFC WIDOWS WEB SMOKE
  • LEGS MICRO SILICONE LEGS N40
  • BODY RAINYS EVASOTE OLIVE FOAM
  • HACKLE FURNACE BROWN WHITING HACKLE
  • TAIL Brown goose biots

How to tie it

  1. Start a heavy thread (210 denier yellow) and run it back to just past the hook point, a little beyond the bend on this sloping-bend hook.
  2. Dub a fair pinch of ICE DUB BLACK and wrap it in one spot into a neat ball for the egg sack.
  3. Split two BROWN GOOSE BIOTS against the egg sack, curves reversed so they splay, one on each side of the hook, and bring the thread forward.
  4. Tie in a strip of RAINYS EVASOTE OLIVE FOAM at the rear; it compresses a lot when bound.
  5. Prep a FURNACE BROWN WHITING HACKLE, tie it in by the stem at the rear, and bring the bobbin forward.
  6. Dab a touch of super glue along the shank with a bodkin, then wrap the foam forward giving each turn a stretch so it does not bulk up; tie off and trim the excess.
  7. Palmer the hackle forward through the foam body and tie it off.
  8. Tie in a tuft of MFC WIDOWS WEB SMOKE as the underwing, reaching back about to the tail, with the butts running slightly forward to start a taper; trim.
  9. Clean the underfur from a generous bunch of NATURAL ELK HAIR, stack it, measure it to the length of the underwing with its natural curve sweeping back, and bind it right up against the poly with hard thread pressure.
  10. For the bullet head clean another generous clump of NATURAL ELK HAIR, take the bobbin up to the eye, pinch the clump in, a couple of wraps, compress and let it roll all the way round the shank, then trim the butts so they will not show. Push a finger into the middle to flare the hair, check the eye is clear, cup it back over itself and crank the collar wraps down; trim underneath to expose the belly and hackle.
  11. Set two MICRO SILICONE LEGS N40 on top at the collar and separate them off to each side; trim to length.
  12. Tie off and run head cement on the thread and up into the underside of the bullet head.

Tying videos

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