How To: Tying The Dinner Bell Fly

How to Tie The Dinner Bell

This is a great fly for targeting Bull Reds, Jack Crevalle, Tarpon, Cobia or any large saltwater specie you’re after. Tied on a size 2/0 hook and equipped 3 tungsten beads this fly will get down in a hurry where the rabbit hair, silicone legs, and the right amount of flash can work their magic. It has great movement underwater, rides hook point up, and can be tied in an endless array of color combos that are sure to pair well with any water clarity you run into.

In this tutorial we cover how to tie The Dinner Bell fly in the original size on a 2/0 hook and using tungsten beads. A scaled down version, The Lunch Bell, is tied the same way but uses a size 2 hook with brass beads.

FLY TYING MATERIALS

(scroll down to the bottom to see the color list for three effective color combinations)

HOW TO TIE THE DINNER BELL

STEP 1:

Start by tying in a 4” piece of 20# Mason Hard Mono at the bend of the hook.

Tip: Use a pair of pliers to crimp down 1/8” of the monofilament where you tie it in. This helps reduce bulk and allows the thread to better hold the monofilament.

Step 2:

Prepare a 2” piece of the rabbit strip and tie in at the bend of the hook. Note the direction of the hair fibers and orientation of the rabbit hide.

Use a bodkin to puncture a hole in the rabbit hide. The hole should be in line with the back of the hook.

Push the monofilament through the hole and set aside.

Saltwater Fly Tying Tutorials

Step 3:

Tie in the cross cut rabbit strip so that the hair fibers are pointing rearward.

Palmer the cross cut rabbit strip 3-4 times and secure.

Marsh Legs Fly Tying Tutorial

Step 4:

Tie in two Marsh Legs. Spread the legs to both sides of the fly.  Half on left side.  Half on right side.

Trim the legs to the same length as the tail.

Step 5:

The next steps will be to tie in two chenilles/wraps that will make up the body.

First tie in the Holo-Fiber Wrap and set aside.

Crack Wrap Fly Tying Tutorials

Step 6:

Then tie in the Crack Wrap at the same location.

Crack Wrap

Available in 15 different colors and featuring a stealthy thin internal cord that combines water-fluid fibers and a hint of thin UV mylar strips.

Great for wrapping bodies, building collars, adding filler flash on articulated shanks, and palmering over other materials unnoticeably.

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Dinner Bell Fly Tying Tutorial

Step 7:

Align both of the wraps and begin palmering both of them to the front of the hook at the same time.

Use your fingers to hold the fibers back before each wrap. Keep the fibers pointing rearward and keep each wrap close together.

Continue wrapping to the eye of the hook but leave a 1/8” space to tie in the remaining materials of the fly.

Step 8:

Trim the fibers to give them a nice taper. Short in the front and longer towards the rear.

Fiddler Fiber Tying Tutorial

Step 9:

Next invert the fly in the vise and prepare a piece of Faux Fox Fiber approximately 6” in length.

Tie in the fibers at the halfway point.

Tip: Pull and tear the fibers with your fingers to the desired length (don’t cut with scissors). This will give the fibers a nice, natural taper.

Faux Fox Fiber

Long, ultra-fine, water-fluid fibers with a hint of micro flash. Breathing and pulsating, these fibers have an awesome display of underwater movement.

Use it for adding wings on Redfish and Bonefish flies, or building bodies on baitfish flies, or creating a collar on various patterns, or tying in segments for a crab body.

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Step 10:

Fold the front half of the fibers back and secure with thread.

Tying flies with keel beads.

Step 11:

Slide on three Keel Beads onto the monofilament.

Fold the monofilament towards the eye of the hook at cut off the excess. The shape of the monofilament should be roughly equal to the size of the hook gap.

Tip: You can use different colors of Keel Beads to create a hot spot or segmented body appearance.

Tying bull red flies

Step 12:

Use a pair of pliers to flatten 1/8” on the monofilament before tying in at the eye of the hook.

This will make the fly more durable and prevent the monofilament from pulling out easily.

Continue wrapping thread to build the head of the fly and finish with your favorite head cement.

The Dinner Bell flies

Finished:

The Dinner Bell fly is a highly effective Bull Red fly and a great choice to throw around the jetties, near-shore, or wherever you find yourself targeting large saltwater species.

Some other popular color combinations include Black/Purple, Chartreuse/Pink, and more.

Tan/Chartreuse

Black/Purple

Chartreuse/Pink

Sight Cast Fishing Company

Our passion is saltwater fly fishing and we aim to provide top quality flies and fly tying materials designed for all the fly fishermen that live and breathe the shallow flats and backwater marshes. Many of the materials used in this fly are available in the Tying Materials section of the website. You can also purchase this fly and many others that are already tied up and ready to fish in the Fly Shop. Good luck out there on the water!

 
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