Bodkin / Patterns

Don's Personal Bulldog

Streamer · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Tyer Recipe

  • Hook 4X-long streamer hook, 6
  • Thread Black 6/0

Materials

  • Lead wire underbody Silver lead free wire (.02-.03, front half of the shank only, doubled)
  • Marabou tail Burnt orange (One whole feather's base fibres, one shank length)
  • Wire rib Copper wire (Heavy, counter-wrapped)
  • Chenille body Gold (called olive at the bench) (Medium, one strand)
  • Saddle hackle Burnt orange grizzly (One feather, shorter fibres, tied in by the tip)
  • Saddle hackle Olive grizzly hackle (One feather, longer fibres, tied in by the tip)
  • Head cement Clear head cement (One good soaking coat)

How to tie it

  1. Wrap.02 lead wire over the front half of the shank only, stopping about half an inch behind the eye, then double back over it a second time. Do not weight the rear half. The back of the fly needs to undulate. (With heavier.03 wire, one layer is enough.)
  2. Start the black thread and build small dams of thread at the front and back of the lead so it cannot slide, then run the thread to the bend.
  3. Strip the fibres off the base of a burnt orange marabou feather (use the whole feather, both sides) match the clump for length with a little variation, measure it one shank length (a touch past is fine), and tie it in for the tail.
  4. Trim the bulk off the butts and bind them down. Then wrap the thread behind the tail, up in front, behind again, and pull tight. That collar keeps the tail standing up instead of drooping over the hook.
  5. Tie in the heavy copper wire at the bend for the rib, building a small thread base so it sits solid, and leave it off the back.
  6. Pair the burnt orange grizzly and the longer-fibred olive grizzly hackles, tie them in together by the tips at the bend, and leave them off the back.
  7. Tie in the medium chenille at the bend, take one wrap at the very back to keep the rear thin, then wrap forward, crowding and even doubling the turns toward the front so the body tapers thicker at the head. Leave a good quarter-inch of bare shank behind the eye.
  8. Palmer both hackles forward together, keeping the olive turn always in front of the orange, stroking the fibres back as you go. At the head take two or three crowded turns to flare a full collar, then tie off and trim.
  9. Wrap thread over the surplus hackle butts at the head and pull them back to set a flared collar. Counter-wrap the heavy copper wire forward through the hackle up to the collar to lock the palmer in, tie it off behind the flared head and trim.
  10. Bring the thread forward, build a big black head over the hackle butts, whip finish three or four times, and work in a good coat of head cement, letting it soak right into the head to finish the fly.

Tying videos

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