How to Tie a Hollow Fly

A hollow fly gets its name as it is see-through when dry and ready for use. As fly patterns go, it is one of the easier and more basic flies to tie, making it a good starting point when beginning to learn the craft and art of fly tying. Hollow flies are versatile, allowing you to use any number of hook sizes or eye beads. Follow the basic pattern and modify it with buck hair colors, different eye beads and size variations as needed for your stream or river.

Things You'll Need

  • Fly vise
  • Forceps
  • Thread
  • 4/O hook
  • 2 to 3 sections of bucktail
  • Eye bead
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Instructions

    • 1

      Grip the hook's shank so the curve and barb face down from the fly vise. Give at least six coils of thread around the hook's shank, making it coil upward in a spiral toward the curve.

    • 2

      Push the eye bead up and onto the hook. Get it up to the curve of the hook and add a dollop of glue at the bead hole to secure it onto the hook.

    • 3

      Place three bunches of bucktail against the neck of the shank at the eye bead. Wrap the bucktail to the shank with four to six coils of thread.

    • 4

      Cut the thread and slide the end up and under the coils to lock it onto the fly.

    • 5

      Fluff out the bucktails so the hook is visible, making it the "hollow fly."