Bodkin / Patterns

CDC Downey-Tungsten

Nymph · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Standard nymph hook, 14-18
  • Thread Brown 8/0

Materials

  • Bead Gold bead (tungsten, sized to hook)
  • Tail Pheasant tail (4-6 fibers)
  • Body Pheasant tail (fibers wound)
  • Rib Copper thorax stripe (fine wire)
  • Collar Natural dun wing bud (1 CDC feather)

How to tie it

  1. Slide a tungsten bead to the eye, mount the hook, and start thread behind the bead.
  2. Tie in a short pheasant tail tail at the bend, half a shank long.
  3. Wrap the pheasant tail fibers forward as a slim body to the 70% mark and tie off.
  4. Counter-wrap the copper rib forward in 5-6 turns to reinforce the body and tie off.
  5. Tie in a CDC feather by the tip and take two or three wraps as a soft collar right behind the bead so the fibers can undulate.
  6. Sweep the CDC back, take a couple of thread turns to angle it, and whip finish.

Tying videos

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