Bodkin / Patterns

Dahlberg Diver

Streamer · Largemouth Bass · Smallmouth Bass · Pike · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Bass bug hook, 1/0-4
  • Thread Natural deer hair 3/0

Materials

  • Tail Rabbit strip or marabou (full)
  • Collar Deer hair (spun and flared)
  • Head Spun deer hair (clipped to diver shape)
  • Weed guard Heavy mono (optional)

How to tie it

  1. Tie in a full rabbit strip or marabou tail at the bend, one and a half shank lengths.
  2. Spin a deer hair collar just ahead of the tail, leaving the tips flared up and back as a skirt. This collar becomes the diving plane. Don't trim it yet.
  3. Spin and pack deer hair clumps forward to the eye. Pack hard.
  4. Now the signature trim: flat face at the front, low wedge rising back to the tall flared collar. A doorstop shape. Flat on the bottom. The collar stays as a raised rim behind the head.
  5. Add a heavy mono weed guard for fishing timber and pads.
  6. Whip finish, cement.

Substitutions

  • Head instead of Spun deer hair: Spun elk hair — Coarser, easier to pack tight; Pre-made foam diver head — Skip the spinning entirely
  • Tail instead of Rabbit strip or marabou: Rabbit strip + flash — Maximum tail action; Marabou and saddle hackle — Full, flowing tail

Tying videos

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