Bodkin / Patterns

Mean Old Lady

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook standard dry fly, 10-16
  • Thread tan (match body) 8/0

Materials

  • Zelon/Antron shuck Amber zelon or antron (short tail)
  • Deer hair Natural deer hair (1 clump (shellback/wing))
  • Dry-fly dubbing Tan or olive dry fly dubbing (body)
  • Round rubber legs Barred rubber legs (1 pair)
  • Dry-fly hackle Grizzly hackle (1)

How to tie it

  1. Tie in a short trailing shuck of amber Zelon at the bend, half a shank long, to suggest the cripple's tail.
  2. Stack a clump of deer hair, tips to the rear over the shuck, and bind along the rear half of the shank; leave the butts long forward.
  3. Dub a slim body forward over the tie-down to the 60% mark.
  4. Pull the deer-hair butts forward over the body as a humpy shellback and bind at 60%, then stand the remaining tips up as a wing clump.
  5. Figure-8 a single rubber leg along each side at the wing base, angled back past the hook point.
  6. Tie in a grizzly hackle and wind 4-5 turns through the thorax, tie off ahead of the wing, whip finish and cement.

Tying videos

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