Bodkin / Patterns

March Brown Cripple

Dry Fly · Trout · Grayling · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry-fly hook, 12-14
  • Thread Brown 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Marabou or Zelon (trailing shuck) Amber / brown marabou or zelon (small clump)
  • Pheasant tail fibers (abdomen) Natural brown pheasant tail fibers (4-6 fibers)
  • Deer hair (wing post) Natural dun deer hair (small clump)
  • Fur dubbing (thorax) Mahogany / brown (1 pinch)
  • Dry-fly hackle Grizzly / brown dry fly hackle (1 feather)

How to tie it

  1. At the bend tie in a short amber marabou or Zelon shuck that droops down and back. The crippled, half-emerged look starts here.
  2. Wrap the pheasant tail fibers forward as a slim segmented abdomen over the rear half, angling slightly down so the tail hangs.
  3. At the 60% mark stack a clump of deer hair and tie it in as an upright wing post, butts trimmed forward.
  4. Tie in a grizzly-brown hackle at the base of the post.
  5. Dub a mahogany thorax around the post, wind the hackle parachute-style around the base 4-5 turns, and tie it off under the post.
  6. Whip finish and add a tiny drop of cement to the head only.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns