Bodkin / Patterns

Henryville Special

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry fly, 12-18
  • Thread Olive 8/0

Materials

  • Body hackle Grizzly hackle (palmered short)
  • Body Olive floss (slender)
  • Rib Grizzly hackle (palmered)
  • Underwing Wood duck flank (tent)
  • Overwing Mallard quill (tent)
  • Hackle Brown hackle (2 wraps)

How to tie it

  1. Mount hook, tie in a short-fibered grizzly hackle and olive floss at the bend.
  2. Wrap a slender floss body to the 65% mark, then palmer the grizzly through it in 4-5 turns. The body hackle should be short. Fibers about one hook gap.
  3. Tie in a small bunch of wood duck flank as an underwing, tent-style over the body.
  4. Tie in matched mallard quill slips over that as the overwing, tips to the bend.
  5. Wrap 2 turns of brown hackle at the collar.
  6. Neat head, whip finish.

Substitutions

  • Body instead of Olive floss: Olive dubbing — Easier than floss, floats better; Olive thread wraps — Slimmest profile
  • Underwing instead of Wood duck flank: Lemon wood duck (dyed mallard) — Easier to find than real wood duck; Gadwall flank — Similar barring, widely available
  • Overwing instead of Mallard quill: Mottled Thin Skin — Much more durable; Turkey quill — Different mottling, same shape

Tying videos

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