What it is
The Hareline Deluxe Bodkin is a fly-tying bodkin built around a stainless steel needle with a sharp point. It’s corrosion resistant and durable, and the ergonomic grip gives you control when you’re doing small, precise work at the vise.
What to tie with it
Use it to pick out dubbing and tease out trapped fibers after you’ve wrapped a body, collar, or head. It’s also a clean way to apply head cement or glue in tiny amounts, and to pick out or separate fine materials without crushing them. Many tyers also use a bodkin to help thread a bobbin tube and to manage thread work like nudging wraps into place or popping a quick half hitch.
Flies and the fish they're for
Even though it isn’t tied into the fly, a bodkin shows up on the bench for almost everything: picking dubbing on nymphs for trout in rivers, applying cement on streamer heads for smallmouth in warmwater, and adding a controlled drop of glue on saltwater patterns for redfish, stripers, and other coastal species. Any fly where you want a little more fuzz, a cleaner head, or precise adhesive work is where this tool earns its keep.