Bodkin / Patterns

Mr. Rapidan

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry fly, 12-18
  • Thread Yellow 8/0

Materials

  • Moose body hair Dark moose body hair (6-10 fibers for tail)
  • Poly / Superfine dubbing Yellow-olive poly superfine dubbing (thin noodle)
  • Calf body hair White calf body hair (1 small clump for wings)
  • Rooster hackle Grizzly + brown, mixed (2 feathers)

How to tie it

  1. Start the yellow thread mid-shank. Cut, stack and tie in a small clump of white calf body hair pointing forward at the 70% mark; post it upright, then split it into two divided wings with figure-8 wraps and a couple of turns around each base to stand them up.
  2. Run the thread to the bend and tie in a short bundle of stacked moose body hair for the tail, one shank length long. The hollow moose fibers help the fly ride high in choppy water.
  3. Dub a thin, tapered yellow-olive body forward over the rear two-thirds, stopping at the wings.
  4. Tie in a grizzly and a brown hackle by their stems behind the wings, shiny side forward.
  5. Wind both hackles together, two or three turns behind the wings and two or three in front, then tie off and clip the tips.
  6. Build a small thread head, whip finish and add a drop of cement.

Tying videos

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