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(Alternative spelling of name = ‘Coch –Y –Bondhu’)

The Cock-Y-Bonddu is a Welsh beetle pattern which is equally at home on Australian trout waters. The original was tied with flat silver tinsel wound around the hook shank  just behind the body. This little bit of flash isn't intended to represent a tail its more likely that it was included to imitate the beetle wing parts that often trail behind a beetle like a tail when it gets trapped in the water mid flight. In my version of the Coch-Y-Bonddu I substitute a pearl Krystal Flash tag for the silver tinsel.

The Cock-Y-Bonddu is as relevant today as when it was first invented some 140 years ago. It is one of the quintessential beetle flies that has stood the test of time.

Materials

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns from the 95% position to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Take just one strand of Krystal flash and double it up 4 times and tie it in as a tag. The finished tag should only be about half the gape of the hook long. Looking after synthetic fibres Wind the thread forward 2/3 of the way along the shank of the hook toward the eye to where the body will finish.

B	Tie in several strands of peacock herl. Roping peacock herl Form the herl into a herl rope. Wind the herl rope along the rear 2/3 of the hook shank to form an acorn shaped body.

C	Trim the excess herl.

D	Tie a hackle in directly in front of the body Dry fly hackle Trim the butt end of the hackle. The hackle should be at around 45 degrees to the hook shank and on the vertical plane not the horizontal plane. That is, from the side it should look like this. Take the thread forward to the 95% position where the hackle will finish.

E	Wind the hackle forward in touching turns to the thread. Tie the hackle off at the thread and trim the excess hackle. Build up a neat head of thread. Whip finish and varnish the head.

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