Bodkin / Patterns

Dirty Orange

Salmon/Steelhead · Salmon · Steelhead · Advanced · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Blind-eye or up-eye classic salmon fly hook, 1/0-4
  • Thread Black 8/0

Materials

  • Tag Oval gold tinsel and orange floss (as needed)
  • Tail Golden pheasant crest and tippet (1 crest + tippet)
  • Butt Ostrich herl (few turns)
  • Body Orange seal's fur (as needed)
  • Rib Flat gold tinsel (5-6 turns)
  • Hackle Dirty orange cock hackle, palmered (1)
  • Throat Jay (1 collar)
  • Wing Red golden pheasant body feather, guinea fowl, cinnamon turkey, bustard, golden pheasant tail, red/orange/blue turkey, peacock herl, white-tipped black turkey, bronze mallard over (1 mixed wing)
  • Sides Wood duck (1 per side)
  • Horns Blue and yellow macaw (1 per side)

How to tie it

  1. Wrap a tag of oval gold tinsel and orange floss over the barb, then tie in a golden pheasant crest with a few tippet fibres for the tail. Add an ostrich herl butt.
  2. Spin and wrap orange seal's fur for the body, then rib it with flat gold tinsel in evenly spaced turns.
  3. Palmer a dirty-orange cock hackle over the body, one turn behind each rib so the rib locks it in.
  4. Wind a jay throat as a blue beard and stroke it down.
  5. Build the mixed wing from married strands of the listed feathers, keeping it low, then lay bronze mallard strips over the top.
  6. Add wood duck sides, blue-and-yellow macaw horns, form a small head and whip finish.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns