Bodkin / Patterns

Front End Loader

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 3 versions

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry fly hook, 12-16
  • Thread Tan 8/0

Materials

  • Hot spot Fluorescent orange egg sac (6-8 thread wraps at the bend)
  • Rib Pearl anti static bag strip (1 strand Flashabou)
  • Body Light brown body fly (Superfine dubbing, sparse)
  • Wing Natural case (Small clump elk hair)
  • Hackle Grizzly or dun hackle (1 feather, stacked flat)

How to tie it

  1. Mount the hook and start the thread behind the eye; lay a smooth thread base back to the bend.
  2. Build a short fluorescent-orange hot-spot tag at the bend, then tie in a strand of pearl Flashabou for the rib.
  3. Dub a slim, lightly tapered body forward with light brown superfine, stopping at the 70% mark and leaving the front third bare.
  4. Rib the pearl Flashabou forward in 5-6 open turns and bind it off to segment the body and add sparkle.
  5. Stack a small clump of elk hair, measure it to the bend and bind it in at the 70% mark as a low down-wing.
  6. Tie in the hackle by the butt, take 4-5 turns, then sweep the fibers rearward and bind them flat so the fly floats flush in the film.
  7. Trim any stray fibers off the underside so the body kisses the water, form a neat head and whip finish.

Other versions

2 more in the app: Olsen's Foam Caddis, Olsen's Caddis.

Tying videos

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