Bodkin / Patterns

Lantern Fly

Nymph · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook curved wet/emerger (TMC 2499SPBL or Firehole 316), 10-14
  • Thread black (unlit) or white (lit) 6/0

Materials

  • Head Pearlescent Flashabou wrap over a thread bump (or 2 crystal glass beads) (as needed)
  • Body Tying thread (black or white) (as needed)
  • Rib Small wire (silver over black body / black over white body) (1)
  • Hackle Brown partridge (sakasa, reversed) (1)

How to tie it

  1. Start the thread just behind the eye and tie in a brown partridge feather by the tip so its fibers will sweep FORWARD over the eye (sakasa kebari / reverse-hackle style).
  2. Take one to one-and-a-half turns of partridge and secure so the soft fibers cone forward, this reversed hackle pulses and 'breathes' on the swing.
  3. Wrap a smooth thread body down the shank to the bend.
  4. Tie in the fine wire at the bend and counter-rib the body forward in 4-5 evenly spaced turns for segmentation and durability, tie off.
  5. Build the head: wrap pearlescent Flashabou over a thread base (or add two crystal glass beads) so it glows like a little lantern.
  6. Whip finish behind the reversed hackle.

Tying videos

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