Bodkin / Patterns

Northern Lite

Salmon/Steelhead · Wet Fly · Salmon · Intermediate · 1 version

Tyer Recipe

  • Hook Low-water salmon hook, #4
  • Thread Black Veevus 8/0

Materials

  • Hackle fibers (tail) Brown hackle fibers (A fairly long but sparse bunch)
  • Wool (body) Brown zelon (One strand, three passes)
  • Hackle fibers (throat) Brown hackle fibers (A small bunch reaching the hook point)
  • Calf tail (wing) White calf body hair (A small bunch, hand-stacked)

How to tie it

  1. Mount the low-water hook and run a black thread base back to the bend, with a wool body there is no need to be fussy about the underbody.
  2. Tie in a fairly long but sparse bunch of brown hackle fibers as the tail and secure with a few wraps.
  3. Tie in the brown wool a short distance in front of the tail (not right at it), which sets up the taper.
  4. Wrap the wool forward to fill the space up to the return of the eye, come back down almost to the tail, then forward again onto the return. Three passes that build a natural taper. Tie off and trim.
  5. Tie in a small bunch of brown hackle fibers beneath the shank as a throat, reaching back to about the hook point.
  6. Pull the strays out of a small bunch of white calf tail to hand-stack it, measure the wing, and tie it in on top. Check the length and reposition it if it rolls.
  7. Bind the butts down, make sure everything is still in place, whip finish and finish the head with cement or resin.

Tying videos

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