Bodkin / Patterns

Carlson's Purple Haze

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook standard dry-fly hook (e.g. TMC 100), 12-18
  • Thread Purple or black 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Tail Brown or Coq de Leon microfibetts, split (6 fibers)
  • Body Purple super floss, thread, or dubbing (as needed)
  • Wing post White calf or EP/poly fiber (1 clump)
  • Hackle Grizzly (or grizzly/brown), parachute (1 feather)
  • Thorax Purple or dark gray dubbing (1 pinch)

How to tie it

  1. Tie in a white parachute post upright at the 65% mark and split a Coq de Leon/brown tail at the bend, about one shank length.
  2. Wrap or dub a slim purple body from the bend forward to the post. Why: the purple body is the whole trick, a color trout key on across many mayfly hatches.
  3. Wind a grizzly hackle parachute-style around the base of the post, 4-5 turns, and secure.
  4. Dub a purple/dark-gray thorax around the post base to fill and lock the hackle.
  5. Whip finish behind the eye and cement the post base.

Tying videos

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