Bodkin / Patterns

RIO's Morrish Level Headed Damsel

Nymph · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Barbless jig hook rigged as a balanced fly (with balance pin), 12
  • Thread Olive 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Balance pin - (1)
  • Bead (front weight over pin) Gold or black bead (1, sized to hook)
  • Marabou (fanned tail) Olive marabou (1 sparse plume)
  • Ultra Wire (rib) Copper wire (1 length)
  • Dubbing or Micro Chenille (abdomen) Olive ice dub (1 length)
  • Mono or bead-chain (eyes) Black mono eyes small (1 pair)
  • Partridge or fine rubber (legs) Olive/natural partridge or fine rubber (small bunch)
  • Dubbing (thorax) Olive ice dub (1 pinch)

How to tie it

  1. Bind the balance pin and bead at the hook eye so the weight rides forward of the eye, keeping the finished fly level and slightly head-up.
  2. At the bend, tie a short, sparse olive marabou tail no more than half a shank long, then splay it into a fanned three-part tip by pinching it flat; damsel nymphs show a distinct fanned triple tail.
  3. Tie in the copper wire, then wrap a thin, slender olive abdomen forward to the 60% mark, keeping it deliberately skinny.
  4. Counter-rib the wire forward in 5-6 open turns for segmentation and tie off.
  5. Figure-8 the mono or bead-chain eyes just behind the front bead to give the wide-set damsel head.
  6. Add a few olive partridge or rubber leg fibers along each side, sweeping back to mid-body.
  7. Dub a small thorax between eyes and bead, whip finish behind the bead, and cement.

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