Published Jan 6. 2023 - 1 year ago
Updated or edited Jan 7. 2023

Bites in Pink Satin

Satin ribbon can’t be used in as many different ways as organza, but it definitely makes some juicy looking fish snacks.

I use a lot of organza ribbon, but it’s not the only ribbon that can be used to tie flies. Satin ribbon can’t be used in as many different ways as organza, but it definitely makes some juicy looking fish snacks.

Two Pink Bites
Two Pink Bites
Nick Thomas

You can buy 3mm ribbon by the metre from craft and sewing shops in a wide range of colours, including white if you want some bites in white satin. Or you can get the ribbon online by the spool if you want a lot, or buy cut lengths in different colours, 5 metres (which will make a lot of flies) costs around a pound in the UK.

Pink satin
Pink satin
Nick Thomas

Making the body is simple, you just need a sewing needle clamped in your tying vise by the eye. A 1mm needle about 5-6cm long is ideal. Make the body around twice the length you want on the fly to make it easy to tie in and remove the waste ends.

The Bite in profile
The Bite in profile
Nick Thomas
Pink Satin Bite
Pattern type: 
Nymph
Originator: 
Nick Thomas
Materials: 
Hook
Fasna F-415 #14
Bead
Get Slotted 3.3mm pink slotted tungsten
Thread
12/0 pink
Body
Pink satin ribbon
Collar
Troutline pink special scud and golden olive squirrel dubbing
Skill level/difficulty: 
Easy
Instruction: 
  1. Run on the tying thread and catch in a length of ribbon lying along the top of the needle towards the vise jaws.
  2. Bind down the ribbon along the needle and then bring the thread back to where you started.
  3. Wind the ribbon up the needle in tight overlapping turns and tie in.
  4. Whip finish, cut the thread and slide the ribbon body off the needle.
  5. Place the bead on the hook, push the point of the hook in and out of the middle of the body and fix the hook in the vise.
  6. Run on the thread behind the bead and lock it in place with thread turns.
  7. Slide the ribbon body up the hook and make a few tight thread wraps over it.
  8. Lift the front end of the body and make some locking turns onto the hook.
  9. Cut through the free end of the body, unravel the ends of the ribbon, trim them away and tidy up over the remaining cut ends with more thread wraps.
  10. Dub the collar, smear the thread with varnish and whip finish behind the bead.

Wet Pink Bites
Wet Pink Bites
Nick Thomas
Incoming grayling
Incoming grayling
Nick Thomas
Outgoing grayling
Outgoing grayling
Nick Thomas

You are not restricted to tying Satin Bites in pink. I ‘borrowed’ some olive ribbon from my wife’s sewing basket to tie the one above with a 3.5mm copper bead and some squirrel dubbing. Grayling like this one too, as do trout.

Olive Satin Bite
Olive Satin Bite
Nick Thomas
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