Skip to content

The pattern notebook · nymph

Egan's Iron Lotus

How do you tie a Egan's Iron Lotus?

Egan's Iron Lotus is a nymph fly pattern for trout. Find its 9 materials and 18 tying steps below.

Difficulty
3 of 5
Target species
trout
Pattern designer
Lance Egan

Added to catalog · Updated

At the vise

Materials

  • Hook: Hanak 400 Jig Hook
  • Bead: 2.3mm Slotted Tungsten Bead, Gold
  • Lead Wire: .010 Lead Wire
  • Thread: UTC 70 Denier, Olive
  • Tail: Coq de Leon, Medium Pardo or Dark Pardo
  • Ribbing: UNI-Thread 6/0, White
  • Wing Case: Wapsi Flashback Tinsel, Black
  • Thorax: Arizona Synthetic Peacock Dubbing, Natural Peacock
  • UV Resin: Loon UV Clear Fly Finish Flow

Have some of these already? The app matches recipes against your inventory and helps you build a shopping list for the gaps.

Open this pattern in the appDownload for iOS or Android

Tying instructions

  1. Secure the Hanak 400 jig hook in the vise and slide the 2.3mm slotted tungsten bead onto the hook.

  2. Wrap .010 lead wire around the hook shank behind the bead, making 6-8 turns.

  3. Push the lead wire wraps up into the bead and break off the excess lead wire.

  4. Build a thread ramp up behind the lead wire using olive UTC 70 denier thread.

  5. Wrap the olive thread over the lead wire to hold it in place, then wrap back down towards the bend to prepare for the tail.

  6. Tie in 8-12 fibers of Coq de Leon for the tail, making it approximately 2/3 the length of the hook shank.

  7. Tie in UNI-Thread 6/0 white thread behind the lead to taper the body.

  8. Wrap the olive thread over the lead to cover it.

  9. Counter-wrap the white UNI-Thread forward to create segmentation.

  10. Tie off and trim the white UNI-Thread.

  11. Apply a small amount of Arizona Synthetic Peacock Dubbing to the thread to create a thin noodle.

  12. Wrap the dubbing behind the bead to create a thorax.

  13. Tease the dubbing to either side with a brush to flatten the top of the thorax.

  14. Pull the Wapsi Flashback Tinsel wing case material over the top of the thorax and tie it down behind the bead.

  15. Pull the wing case material back and tie it down.

  16. Whip finish with the red thread behind the bead to create a red band.

  17. Trim the excess wing case material.

  18. Apply Loon UV Clear Fly Finish Flow to the body and cure with a UV light.

Explore more fly patterns