Bodkin / Patterns

Silver Ardea

Salmon/Steelhead · Salmon · Steelhead · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Blind-eye or up-eye classic salmon fly hook, 1/0-4
  • Thread Black 8/0

Materials

  • Tag Silver twist and yellow silk (as needed)
  • Tail Golden bird of paradise (substitute yellow crest/CDC) (1)
  • Body Flat silver tinsel (full shank)
  • Rib Oval Silver Tinsel (5-6 turns)
  • Hackle Bright red-claret (white coch-y-bondhu dyed cardinal), palmered (1)
  • Throat White heron dyed light blue (1 collar)
  • Wing Married peacock wing, bustard, golden pheasant tail, Amherst pheasant tail, black-and-white mottled turkey, red macaw, swan dyed yellow (1 mixed wing)

How to tie it

  1. Wrap a tag of silver twist and yellow silk over the barb, then tie in a golden bird of paradise fibre (or a slim yellow substitute) for the tail.
  2. Cover the shank with flat silver tinsel in smooth overlapping turns, then counter-rib with oval silver tinsel in evenly spaced turns.
  3. Palmer the bright red-claret hackle over the body, one turn tight behind each rib so the rib protects the stem.
  4. Wind a light-blue-dyed white heron hackle at the throat as a long, mobile beard and stroke it down.
  5. Build a slim married wing from strands of peacock wing, bustard, golden pheasant tail, Amherst pheasant tail, mottled turkey, red macaw and yellow swan; keep it sparse and low.
  6. Form a small head and whip finish.

Tying videos

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