Fly Tying Inventory
Black Bear Green Butt
The Black Bear Green Butt is a simple hair-wing salmon fly. It has a small silver oval tinsel tag, a fluorescent green thread butt, a black hackle-fiber tail, a black thread body ribbed with silver oval tinsel, a black hackle-fiber throat and a wing of cleaned and stacked black bear hair. Both the butt and the body are built from thread, which keeps the fly slim. Tie it on a salmon or steelhead hook. Tied here on a size 6 Dai-Riki 899.
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Materials
Salmon or steelhead hook, Dai-Riki 899, size 6
6
UTC Ultra Thread 140 Denier, fluorescent green, which also forms the underbody and butt
Fluorescent green · 140 denier
Oval tinsel, silver, small, for the tag
Silver · Small
Saddle hackle fibers, black
Black
Oval tinsel, silver, small
Silver · Small
UTC Ultra Thread 140 Denier, black, wrapped as the body
Black · 140 denier
UTC Ultra Thread 70 Denier, black, for the throat, wing and head
Black · 70 denier
Saddle hackle fibers, black, for the throat
Black
Black bear hair, cleaned of underfur and stacked
Black
UV-cure resin or head cement for the head
How to Tie the Black Bear Green Butt
- 1
Step 1
Start the fluorescent green thread behind the eye and wrap a smooth, even layer along the whole shank to the bend. This green layer becomes the butt and sits under the black body.
- 2
Step 2
Tie in the small silver oval tinsel and wrap a short tag at the bend. Tie it off and trim the excess.
- 3
Step 3
Tie in a small bunch of black saddle hackle fibers just in front of the tag for the tail. Bind the butts down along the shank with the green thread and trim.
- 4
Step 4
Tie in a length of silver oval tinsel for the rib at the same point. Whip finish and cut away the green thread.
- 5
Step 5
Start the black 140 denier thread a short way in front of the tag, leaving a band of green showing as the butt. Wrap the black forward over the green to near the eye, building a smooth, even body.
- 6
Step 6
Wind the tinsel rib forward in open, evenly spaced turns over the black body. Tie it off and trim.
- 7
Step 7
Change to the black 70 denier thread for the finishing work at the front of the fly.
- 8
Step 8
Hold a small bunch of black saddle hackle fibers under the shank and tie them in as a throat sloping back toward the hook point. Trim the butts.
- 9
Step 9
Cut a bunch of black bear hair, comb out the underfur and short fibers, and even the tips in a hair stacker.
- 10
Step 10
Tie the hair on top of the shank as a low wing reaching back over the body. Trim the butts at an angle so the head tapers.
- 11
Step 11
Build a neat, tapered head with the thread and whip finish. Coat the head with UV resin and cure it, or use head cement.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-ye80YEXes
Credit: Tim Flagler / Tightline Productions