Bodkin / Patterns

Dave Burns' Schlappen-the-Face Bull Trout

Streamer · Trout · Advanced · 2 versions

Sport Fishing on the Fly dressing

  • Thread Red 6/0

Materials

  • Eyes 7/32” Dumbbell
  • Body Various Fritz Colors
  • Wings Various Schlappen Colors
  • Flash Various Crystal Flash Colors
  • Tailing Hook Size 4 Stinger

How to tie it

  1. Secure the intruder shank, steadying it with your thumb, and build a good thread base, finishing with the thread near the front.
  2. Figure-8 the 7/32" Dumbbell eyes on very securely near the front of the shank.
  3. Tie in a supple trailing loop of backing or 20 lb mono for the Tailing Hook, leaving enough room to slide the hook into the loop later; stiff wire kills the tail movement.
  4. Build a small, generous clump of Fritz at the very rear of the shank; its only job is to flare the feathers that follow so they do not collapse inward.
  5. Take two Schlappen feathers, line them up where the smooth barbs end and the fluffy base begins, tie them in at that point, and palmer the fluffy sections twice.
  6. Take two feathers of a different color, lay them in rotated 90 degrees from the previous pair, tie in at the same point on the stem, and palmer twice. Keep alternating colors two at a time until the body fills to about half an inch short of the eyes, leaving room for the head.
  7. Tie in several strands of Crystal Flash in assorted colors over the body.
  8. Palmer two final Schlappen feathers in the darkest colors at the head, tied in the same way, then trim the thread.
  9. Dress the Size 4 Stinger: build a small thread base, tie in one pink and one purple Schlappen, one per side, at the smooth/fluffy junction, and palmer each twice. Pull the feathers back, build a thread taper, and whip finish.
  10. Thread a piece of fishing line or Crystal Flash through the stinger hook eye and the trailing loop, pull the loop through, then take the shank out of the vise and pass the dressed hook through the loop to seat it.

Other versions

1 more in the app: Tyer Recipe.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns