Bodkin / Patterns

Last Chance Cripple Callibaetis

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry-fly hook, #14-16
  • Thread Grey 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Zelon or Antron (trailing shuck) Amber / tan zelon antron yarn (1 small tuft)
  • Turkey biot (abdomen) Tan / grey turkey biot (1 biot)
  • Deer hair (wing) Natural / dun deer hair (1 small clump)
  • Fine dry-fly dubbing (thorax) Grey / callibaetis (1 pinch)
  • Grizzly or dun hackle Grizzly-dun or hackle (1 feather)

How to tie it

  1. Start the thread and tie in a sparse tuft of amber Zelon at the bend as a trailing shuck about half a shank length long.
  2. Tie in a turkey biot by the tip at the bend and wrap it forward in touching turns to the two-thirds point to form a segmented abdomen; tie off.
  3. Stack a small clump of deer hair and tie it in as a single upright wing tuft leaning slightly forward at the two-thirds point; trim the butts.
  4. Tie in a grizzly-dun hackle in front of the wing.
  5. Dub a grey callibaetis-toned thorax around and in front of the wing base.
  6. Wind the hackle 3-4 turns through the thorax, then trim the hackle flush underneath so the fly sits low and flush in the film. Whip finish and add a tiny drop of cement at the head.

Tying videos

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