Bodkin / Patterns

Savage Bruiser

Streamer · Trout · Smallmouth Bass · Advanced · 2 versions

Savage Flies dressing

  • Hook streamer, 6-10
  • Thread Black

Materials

  • Tail Mottled turkey slip
  • Rib Silver tinsel
  • Body White wool yarn
  • Wing Black over blue bucktail
  • Throat Red marabou or schlappen

How to tie it

  1. Pinch the barb on a 6X long streamer hook, start black thread in the middle of the shank and take it all the way back to the bend.
  2. Tie in a small slip of mottled turkey for the tail with a wrap or two, then bury the butt under thread rather than snipping it — the body is thick enough to hide it.
  3. Take the thread up to a couple of eye lengths behind the eye and catch in a single strand of white wool yarn there, then bind it back to the bend with big open wraps.
  4. Catch in the silver tinsel at the bend as well.
  5. Wrap the wool yarn forward without pulling it tight, so the body stays soft and absorbs water. If it flattens out, give it a clockwise twist to cord it up. Tie it off at the front.
  6. Wrap the silver tinsel forward as a rib with the turns as far apart as you want flash, tie it off with two wraps, fold the tag back over, add two more wraps and snip.
  7. Stack a bunch of blue bucktail and tie it in as the first part of the wing. Take a wrap under it, then over, then under again to stop it rolling around the shank, and follow with medium wraps back over the butts to lay it flat again before snipping.
  8. Tie in a smaller black topping over the blue — bucktail, skunk or squirrel.
  9. Flip the fly and tie in a small tuft of red marabou or schlappen as a throat, just a hint of red for the gills, no longer than the head area.
  10. Build the head, whip finish and drop on head cement.

Other versions

1 more in the app: Tyer Recipe.

Tying videos

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