Bodkin / Patterns

Smoke Fly

Wet Fly · Trout · Grayling · Beginner · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook wet fly / spider hook, down-eye, 14
  • Thread brown 8/0

Materials

  • Body Bright bronze-brown peacock herl (1-2 strands)
  • Rib Fine silver twist/tinsel (optional) (3-4 turns)
  • Hackle Feather from a young grouse (1 feather)

How to tie it

  1. Start the brown silk behind the eye and run to above the barb.
  2. Tie in one or two strands of bronze-brown peacock herl (and the silver twist if used) at the tail.
  3. Wind the herl forward to two-thirds of the shank to build a rich iridescent body, then tie off.
  4. If ribbing, spiral the silver twist forward in 3-4 open turns over the herl to protect it and add sparkle, and tie off.
  5. Tie in the mottled young-grouse feather by its tip, take 1.5 to 2 sparse turns, secure, clip the stem, stroke fibres back, whip finish and varnish.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns