Last Chance Cripple · Dry fly
An olive stuck in the film on a grey October day
A Last Chance Cripple dry fly in grey and olive, size 18, for trout eating Baetis emergers on the South Fork Boise River.
A size 18 Last Chance Cripple tied as a blue-winged olive caught halfway out of its shuck. Grey turkey biot ribs the body, an olive-grey thorax sits behind swept dark dun wings, and light dun hackle splays around it.
- Pattern
- Last Chance Cripple
- Imitates
- Blue-winged olive (Baetis) emergence
- When
- typically overcast autumn afternoons
- Hook
- size 18
- Tippet
- 6Xrule of three
- Size 18 dry for Baetis emergers
- Segmented grey turkey biot body
- Swept dark dun hen hackle wings
- Long dun tail reads as a shuck
- Tied for the South Fork Boise
On the water
Grey biot segments run up a slim body to an olive-grey thorax. Two dark dun wings lie swept back, a long dun tail trails off the bend, and light dun hackle fibers fan out around the head. It sits on pale birch bark among fallen leaves, autumn all over it.
Fish it on soft water where olives drift and stall. Dead drift only, tight to the seam, and let it ride low in the film. idahoangler.com puts this cripple at the top of its dry list for the South Fork Boise from late winter through fall, with overcast days giving the steadiest rises.
Turkey biot is the part to get right. Tie it in by the tip with the notch facing the right way, wrap over a smooth thread base, and the ridged segments show up clean on a hook this small.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 6Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 6X tippet, 9 to 12 feet of leader, so the fly settles quietly.
- Dead drift it low in the film; skip floatant on the body and dress only the hackle.
- Trail it 18 inches behind a bigger, easier-to-see dry when the light goes flat.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Blue-winged olive (Baetis) emergencetypically overcast autumn afternoons
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Slow flats, soft seams and glassy tailouts
- Also fishes
- Any slow trout water with a Baetis hatch, spring or fall, and flat tailouts on drizzly days when olives struggle to leave the surface.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 9 steps
- Pattern
- Last Chance Cripple
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hooksize 18
- Thread
- Dark grey 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailDun hackle fibers
- BodyGrey turkey biot
- ThoraxOlive-grey dubbing
- WingDark dun hen hackle tips
- HackleLight dun rooster hackle
- HeadDark grey 8/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Blue-winged olive (Baetis) emerger
- Colors
- Dark grey, Light dun, Olive-grey
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (9)
- Mount the size 18 hook and start the dark grey thread just behind the eye, then run a smooth base to the bend.
- Tie in a small bunch of dun hackle fibers for the tail, about one shank length past the bend.
- Tie in the grey turkey biot by its tip at the bend, notch positioned so the ridge stands out on each wrap.
- Bring the thread forward to the 60 percent mark, keeping the underbody thin and even.
- Wrap the biot forward in touching turns to the thread, tie it off and trim the butt.
- Dub a thin noodle of olive-grey dubbing and build a slightly fuller thorax over the front 40 percent.
- Tie in two dark dun hen hackle tips on top, swept back over the body, reaching to the bend.
- Tie in the light dun rooster hackle and take three or four open turns through the thorax.
- Tie off the hackle, trim the tip, form a small neat head and whip finish.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: about one hook shank long, sparse.
- Body: biot covers the rear 60 percent of the shank.
- Thorax: front 40 percent, a touch wider than the body.
- Wing: hen hackle tips reach to the bend, laid low and back.
- Hackle: fibers about one and a half times the hook gap.
Tips (3)
- Soak the biot in water for a minute before wrapping so it does not split.
- Keep the tail sparse; eight to ten fibers is plenty at size 18.
- Strip the fluff from the hackle base before tying in to keep the head small.
Common mistakes (3)
- Lumpy body under the biot: lay a flat thread base first and avoid stacking wraps.
- Crowding the eye: stop the thorax and hackle short so there is room for a clean head.
- Wings standing upright: tie them in with firm wraps angled back so they lie over the body.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 18 · Materials only · 12 flies
$60.25
$5.02 a fly
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Dark grey 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Other material: Grey turkey biot$4.50
- Olive-grey dubbing$4.50
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$11.95
- Light dun rooster hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 18 · Materials only · 48 flies
$108.82
$2.27 a fly
Bought separately $114.55 · you save $5.73
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Dark grey 8/0 thread$5.90
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Other material: Grey turkey biot$9
- Olive-grey dubbing$9
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$23.90
- Light dun rooster hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 18 · Materials only · 144 flies
$276.54
$1.92 a fly
Bought separately $314.25 · you save $37.71
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Dark grey 8/0 thread$17.70
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Other material: Grey turkey biot$22.50
- Olive-grey dubbing$18
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$71.70
- Light dun rooster hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 18 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$210.25
$17.52 a fly
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Dark grey 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Other material: Grey turkey biot$4.50
- Olive-grey dubbing$4.50
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$11.95
- Light dun rooster hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 18 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$251.32
$5.24 a fly
Bought separately $264.55 · you save $13.23
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Dark grey 8/0 thread$5.90
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Other material: Grey turkey biot$9
- Olive-grey dubbing$9
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$23.90
- Light dun rooster hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 18 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$408.54
$2.84 a fly
Bought separately $464.25 · you save $55.71
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Dark grey 8/0 thread$17.70
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Other material: Grey turkey biot$22.50
- Olive-grey dubbing$18
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$71.70
- Light dun rooster hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
How it was made
1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked
1 Saved
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
“a fly tied for South Fork Boise River, Idaho”
fly pattern · made
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- last chance cripple
- bwo
- blue-winged olive
- baetis
- emerger
- dry fly
- size 18
- turkey biot
- south fork boise
- october
- trout
- cripple