Bodkin / Patterns

Comet

Salmon/Steelhead · Wet Fly · Steelhead · Salmon · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Standard salmon/steelhead iron, 2-6
  • Thread Orange 6/0

Materials

  • Eyes Silver bead chain (1 pair)
  • Tail Orange calf tail (or bucktail) (long clump)
  • Body Silver diamond braid or tinsel (1)
  • Hackle Orange and yellow hackles (1 each)

How to tie it

  1. Lash a pair of silver bead-chain eyes on top of the shank two eye-widths behind the eye with tight figure-eight wraps, up top so the fly rides point-up and hops along the bottom.
  2. At the bend, tie in a long tail of orange calf tail, a full 1 to 1.5 shank lengths. The streaming tail is the 'comet' this fly is named for.
  3. Tie in the silver diamond braid and wrap a smooth body forward to just behind the eyes.
  4. Tie in one orange and one yellow hackle together and take 2-3 turns of each as a collar, sweeping the fibers back.
  5. Figure-eight the thread through the bead chain, build a small head, whip finish, and cement.

Tying videos

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