Bodkin / Patterns

Madam X

Dry Fly · Terrestrial · Trout · Smallmouth Bass · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry fly, 2x long, 6-12
  • Thread Yellow 6/0

Materials

  • Tail Elk hair (forked)
  • Body Yellow dubbing or foam (robust)
  • Wing Elk hair (tent)
  • Legs Round rubber legs (2-3 pairs)
  • Head Elk hair butts (clipped)

How to tie it

  1. Mount the long hook, tie in an elk hair tail at the bend.
  2. Build a robust yellow body to the 65% mark.
  3. Stack a generous bunch of elk hair and tie in with tips back over the body, tent-style, butts forward over the eye.
  4. Pull the butts back and bind them down to form a bullet head, tips flaring rearward.
  5. Tie in rubber legs at the head tie-down, splayed X-style. That X of legs is the name and the trigger.
  6. Whip finish.

Substitutions

  • Body instead of Yellow dubbing or foam: Yellow foam — Unsinkable, modern approach; Orange dubbing — Stonefly color variant
  • Legs instead of Round rubber legs: Barred Sili Legs — More realistic barring; Crazy Legs — Curly tips, extra movement
  • Wing instead of Elk hair: Deer hair — Finer for smaller sizes; Coastal deer hair — Extra flotation

Tying videos

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