Bodkin / Patterns

Camden Baetis

Nymph · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Nymph, 18
  • Thread Black 8/0

Materials

  • Glass bead To suit (1)
  • Pheasant tail fibers, dyed (tail, body, wing case, legs) Black (dark dun) pheasant tail fibers dyed (4–5 fibers)
  • Ultra Wire (rib) Black wire (small)
  • Dubbing (thorax) Black dubbing (sparse pinch)

How to tie it

  1. Slide a glass bead over the barb onto a size 18 hook, reseat the hook in the vise, and start black thread, wrapping down into the bend.
  2. Tie in four or five black-dyed pheasant tail fibers for the tail, about the length from bead to bend, leaving the butts long for the body.
  3. Tie in small black Ultra Wire where the tail meets the shank.
  4. Wrap the pheasant tail fibers forward in close, even turns to build a slim body ('thin to win'), leaving room for a thorax, and secure.
  5. Counter-wrap the wire forward in evenly spaced turns and break it off.
  6. Pull the pheasant tail butts back and take a wrap to form a small bump, then dub a sparse black thorax up to the bead.
  7. Pull the pheasant tail forward over the thorax as a wing case and secure it behind the bead.
  8. Split the remaining fibers two to each side for legs and lock them with a couple of wraps.
  9. Whip finish, trim the legs, and bend them down so they look buggy.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns