Bodkin / Patterns

Rio Grande King Trude

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook standard dry fly, 10-16
  • Thread black 6/0 or 8/0

Materials

  • Golden pheasant tippet (tail) Orange/black barred golden pheasant tippets (small bunch)
  • Chenille (body) Black chenille (one strand)
  • Flat tinsel (rib, optional) Gold oval tinsel (one strand)
  • Calf tail (wing) White calf body hair (small clump)
  • Dry-fly hackle Brown hackle (1 feather)

How to tie it

  1. Start black thread behind the eye and wrap a smooth base back to the bend.
  2. Tie in a short golden pheasant tippet tail about half a shank long.
  3. If ribbing, tie in a strand of fine gold tinsel at the bend now.
  4. Strip a few fibers off the end of the chenille to bare the core, tie it in, and wrap a slightly tapered body forward to the 75% mark; tie off and trim.
  5. Spiral the gold tinsel forward in 4-5 even turns as a rib and secure it.
  6. Clean and stack a small clump of white calf tail and tie it in Trude-style, flat down-wing lying over the body, tips reaching the tail; trim the butts on a taper.
  7. Tie in the brown hackle by its stem just ahead of the wing, take 4-5 close wraps, sweep the fibers back, and tie off.
  8. Build a small head, whip finish, and add a drop of head cement.

Tying videos

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