The Bloody Butcher

The Bloody Butcher

contributed by Steve Davies

Download recipe (PDF)

Materials

HookAhrex FW580 2XL Wide Gap Nymph Hook Sizes #8-#14
ThreadUni 6/0 Black
TailRed Saddle Hackle
BodySilver Tinsel
RibSilver Oval French Tinsel
ThroatRed Saddle Hackle
WingMale Mallard Duck Wing Feather (Left and right pair). If you don't have Mallard, Black Goose Shoulder will do. (For a larger profile, use Blue Calf Tail.)
HeadBlack Thread

Notes

A traditional sea trout pattern from the Butcher family of flies, also suggested for steelhead and other large trout. The standard Mallard wing can be swapped for Blue Calf Tail to give a larger profile and more movement in tidal zones, deeper water or murky water.

Published in October 2025 (Vol 58 No 10), page 15.