Bodkin / Patterns

Savage Beaver Kill

Dry Fly · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Tyer Recipe

  • Hook Standard-length dry fly, barbless, #12-16 (tied here on a #12)
  • Thread Black 52 denier

Materials

  • Grizzly hackle tips Grizzly hackle (2 (wings, tied spent))
  • Hackle fibers Brown hackle fibers (A good-sized, fairly long tuft (tail))
  • Superfine dubbing Chartreuse ice dub (A 2 inch noodle (body))
  • Dry fly hackle Grizzly hackle (1 small, undersized feather (palmered body hackle. About a #18 for a #12 hook))
  • Dry fly hackle Brown hackle (1 feather (collar))
  • Head cement (1 drop)

How to tie it

  1. Start black 52 denier thread in the front third of the shank.
  2. Tie in two grizzly hackle tips for wings with a pinch wrap, sized a little taller than the collar hackle will be; bring the thread in front of them, lift them upright, and take several wraps to prop them to about 90 degrees.
  3. Split the wings and figure-eight them into a spent position, a couple of wraps back-to-front on one side and front-to-back on the other, then trim the forward-poking barbs and butt ends.
  4. Tie in a generous, fairly long tuft of brown hackle fibers at the bend for the tail, laying slightly down; trim the curled butts.
  5. Tie in the small undersized grizzly hackle at the rear of the body for palmering.
  6. Wax the thread lightly, spin a roughly two-inch noodle of chartreuse superfine, and dub the body from the bend forward to just behind the wings.
  7. Palmer the small grizzly hackle forward over the chartreuse body with the turns as close together as you want (more turns means more float), and tie it off behind the wings.
  8. Tie in the brown collar hackle just behind the wings; take three or four wraps behind the wings and about six in front, using the last turns to help stand the wings up rather than sweeping them back.
  9. Tie off, whip finish a small head, and add a drop of head cement.

Tying videos

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