Tied by Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions.
The Bronze Goddess is a go-to smallmouth bass fly that also earns bonus points for how well it fools trout. Tied by Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, this pattern combines realistic profile, natural movement, and fish-triggering color to great effect.
Bass anglers will immediately see the resemblance to a crayfish—especially when this fly is crawled along the bottom or stripped with short, erratic movements. The shape, the legs, the subtle shimmer—it all screams “crustacean in distress,” and fish respond accordingly.
While originally designed with smallmouth in mind, the Bronze Goddess has proven itself on trout streams too, particularly in sections with rocky bottoms where crayfish are present. Whether you're swinging it, stripping it, or letting it dead-drift along the bottom, this pattern moves like something alive. And that’s exactly what makes it so effective.
Materials
- Hook: 4X-long streamer hook (here, a Mustad 9672), size 4.
- Eye base: Any dubbing.
- Thread: Orange, 8/0 or 70-denier.
- Eyes: Yellow-and-black lead Eyes, small.
- Tail: Golden-brown marabou.
- Flash: Copper Flashabou.
- Body: Copper Estaz Metallique
- Hackle: Brown saddle hackle.
- Collar: Wood-duck dyed mallard-flank feather.
- Hackle: Brown saddle hackle.
- Legs: Barred chestnut or pumpkin silicone legs.
- Head: Copper Estaz Metallique.
Fishing notes
Fish the Bronze Goddess like you would a crawfish imitation: low and slow. Let it bump along the bottom with the occasional twitch. Excellent for smallmouth bass in rivers and creeks, but don’t overlook it for big trout in warm summer months when crayfish are active.
