Bodkin / Patterns

Dornan's Water Walker

Dry Fly · Terrestrial · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook TMC 5263 / 2XL-3XL nymph-streamer dry hook, 8-10
  • Thread Brown 140 denier

Materials

  • Underbody Bruiser Blend Junior dubbing or Ice Dub, golden brown (pinch)
  • Body 2mm fly-tying foam, rootbeer/tan (1 strip)
  • Underwing Krystal Flash, rootbeer (6-8 strands)
  • Wing 0.5mm cross-link sheet foam, tan (1 strip)
  • Legs Speckled centipede/round rubber legs, medium, speckled brown (3 pairs)
  • Indicator 1mm foam, opaque yellow (optional post) (small tab)

How to tie it

  1. Lay a thread base the length of the shank. Cut a strip of 2mm rootbeer foam about a gap-and-a-half wide and tie it in at the bend, leaving the long end pointing back over the bend.
  2. Dub a thin golden-brown underbody forward to the 70% point to give the foam a warm glow and something to seat against.
  3. Pull the foam strip forward over the top to form the segmented body and tie it down at the 70% mark; take a couple of cinch wraps to create a distinct segment. Add a set of knotted rubber legs at the tie-down point, one leg to each side.
  4. Tie in a small bunch of rootbeer Krystal Flash as a short underwing, then lay a strip of 0.5mm tan cross-link foam flat over the top as the overwing, extending to about the end of the bend.
  5. Add a second set of rubber legs at the front, splayed to the sides. Build a small foam head and, if desired, leave a stub of yellow foam standing up as a hi-vis indicator.
  6. Whip finish under the wing and add a drop of cement. Keep the profile slender. The fly should look like a stonefly silhouette when viewed from below.

Tying videos

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