Bodkin / Patterns

Living Damsel

Nymph · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook 2XL-3XL nymph hook, 8-12
  • Thread Olive 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Bead chain or small bead (eyes, optional) Black mono eyes small (1 pair)
  • Marabou (tail) Olive marabou (1 short plume)
  • Wire rib Gold wire (1 length)
  • Marabou or dubbing (body) Olive ice dub (pinch / plume)
  • Partridge or hen (legs) Olive-brown partridge (few fibers)
  • Marabou or dubbing (thorax) Olive ice dub (pinch)

How to tie it

  1. Optionally tie small bead-chain eyes near the eye of the hook to suggest the damsel's wide-set eyes.
  2. Tie in a short mobile marabou tail at the bend, no longer than half a shank. A stubby wiggly tail sells the swimming damsel.
  3. Bind in the gold wire rib, then wrap a slim tapered marabou or dubbed body forward over two-thirds of the shank.
  4. Counter-rib the body with 5-6 open turns of wire and tie off.
  5. Fold a few olive partridge fibers to each side as legs.
  6. Dub or wrap a slightly fuller thorax up to the eyes, figure-eight around them if present, then whip finish and cement.

Tying videos

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