Bodkin / Patterns

Gunnison Green Drake

Dry Fly · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry-fly hook (Tiemco 100 or 100SP-BL), #10-14
  • Thread Olive Dun 8-0 (UNI)

Materials

  • Tail Black calf tail (bucktail) hair (1 small bunch)
  • Body Gray fly foam, 1/8 in strip (1 strip)
  • Wing Blue dun McFlylon (poly yarn) (1 clump)
  • Hackle Olive-dyed grizzly saddle (1 feather)
  • Thorax Peacock herl (2-3 strands)

How to tie it

  1. Start the olive dun thread mid-shank and lay a thread base back to the bend.
  2. Tie in a small clump of black calf tail for the tail, one shank length long, at the bend.
  3. Tie in one end of the 1/8 in gray foam strip at the bend, then bind the thread forward to the 65% point.
  4. Pull the foam forward over the shank to form a segmented body and tie it down at 65%; leave the tag pointing forward for now (it becomes part of the head).
  5. Stand a clump of blue dun McFlylon upright at the 65% point as a wing post and secure with figure-eight then post wraps; trim to about one shank length tall for high visibility.
  6. Tie in the olive-dyed grizzly saddle hackle at the base of the wing post.
  7. Tie in 2-3 peacock herls just behind the wing and wrap them forward and around the post to build a fat thorax; tie off behind the eye.
  8. Wrap the olive grizzly hackle parachute-style around the wing post, 4-6 turns, and tie off at the front; trim the excess.
  9. Fold the remaining foam tag back over the thorax to form a small head/wingcase, tie it down behind the eye, trim, whip finish and cement.

Tying videos

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