Fly Tying

How to Tie the Hollow Fleye Squid

Oct 22, 2020 · 3 min read
Chandler CransBy Chandler Crans
Chandler Crans
Chandler Crans

Chandler Crans is a fly fishing expert and a former guide in Alaska. Whether he's reviewing the latest rods and reels, writing about where to fish,...

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How to Tie the Hollow Fleye Squid

Learn how to tie the Hollow Fleye Squid pattern including step-by-step instructions, a video tutorial, pictures, and much more. Improve your fly tying skills here.

The Hollow Fleye Squid is a phenomenal pattern for Stripers keyed in on schooling Squid at night and during the day. This fly is intricately tied with a variety of techniques that are easy to learn and fun to use in a variety of other streamer patterns. Tune in as Jared teaches you the steps to tie the Hollow Fleye Squid with tips, techniques, and advice for tying this Hollow Fleye-style Squid pattern.


Materials:

We've put together a kit that contains all the materials you need to tie this exact fly pattern.

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Step One:


White and pink spotted Hollow Fleye Squid fly tied on thread in purple vise, delicate feather skirt for fly fishing


Start the fly by tying in 6 Strung Hackle Feathers. You should prep these feathers before tying them in by coloring them with markers. Tie them around the Hard Mono so they're equally spaced out to appear as tentacles. These feathers will give the fly extra movement in the water.


Step Two:


Pink-spotted white Hollow Fleye squid fly with fuzzy pink head clamped in purple vise, translucent leader on wood background


Next, create a dubbing ball to glue the eyes onto. It's difficult to glue eyes to a single strand of Hard Mono so this will give you some bulk to secure the eyes.


Step Three:


White feather Hollow Fleye squid fly with pink spots and iridescent bead eye clamped in purple vise, fly fishing


Glue the eyes onto the dubbing ball, one on each side of the fly.


Step Four:


Hands tying Hollow Fleye Squid with pink-spotted white feathers and metallic bead head in purple vise, fly fishing


Fill the space between the eyes with UV Clear Fly Finish to further anchor the eyes in place.


Step Five:


Pink spotted feather Hollow Fleye squid fly with glass bead eye on clear hook, tied in vise — fly fishing lure


Remove the Hard Mono from the vise and tie the Mono onto the hook shank. Create a small tie in point to make it easier to spin the Deer Hair later then reinforce the thread wraps with superglue.


Step Six:


White hollow fleye squid fly with pink-spotted feathers, silver bead eye and wispy synthetic skirt clamped in purple vise


Choose a chunk of Deer Hair and spin it around the hook shank to create a 360-degree body. Measure your Deer Hair before tying it in to make sure it extends slightly past the eyes of the fly. Use thread pressure and your fingers to manipulate the hair so it spins around the hook shank.


Step Seven:


Hollow Fleye squid fly in pink and white with spotted feather wings, synthetic hair body and glass eyes for fly fishing


Next, add Ice Wing Fiber to give the body some color and flash. Again, tie the Ice Wing Fiber in so it spins around the hook shank then push the fibers rearward and use your thread to anchor them in place.


Step Eight:


Pink-white Hollow Fleye Squid fly with synthetic hair, feather and holographic eye clamped in vise for fly fishing


Begin tying in Deer Hair with a hollow tie. Capture the Deer Hair with a reverse tie and spin it around the hook shank. After it's fully distributed around the hook shank, use a hollow pen casing to push the fibers rearward and pull your thread through at a 90-degree angle. Continue stroking the fibers back as you create a cone with your thread to keep them facing rearward.


Step Nine:


Pink and white hollow Fleye squid fly with silver eyes and marabou fibers secured in vise, fly fishing pattern


Repeat Step Eight with Ice Wing Fiber.


Step Ten:


Pink Hollow Fleye squid fly with feathery tail and silver bead eye tied with synthetic hair in purple vise


Repeat Step Eight with Deer Hair slightly farther up the hook shank.


Step Eleven:


Pink and white Hollow Fleye squid fly made with synthetic hair and feather, bead eyes clamped in vise for fly fishing tying


Repeat Step Eight with Ice Wing Fiber slightly farther up the hook shank.


Step Twelve:


Pink and white Hollow Fleye squid fly with glass eye and hollow synthetic fiber body secured in vise for fly tying


Repeat Step Eight just behind the eye of the hook.


Step Thirteen:


Pink Hollow Fleye squid fly with wispy synthetic fibers and feather eye secured in vise


Repeat Step Eight with Ice Wing Fiber right behind the eye of the hook. Throw a whip finish and you're done! That's the Hollow Fleye Squid, a great pattern for Striper fishing and targeting other saltwater fish that feed on squid. While there are a few moving parts to this fly, it's relatively repetitive so once you get the hang of it it becomes relatively straightforward.


Questions?

Give us a call here at the shop at (888) 413-5211 or email us anytime at [email protected].

Chandler Crans
Written by

Chandler Crans

Chandler Crans is a fly fishing expert and a former guide in Alaska. Whether he's reviewing the latest rods and reels, writing about where to fish, or helping a first-time angler pick the right fly line, Chandler combines real guiding experience with deep product knowledge and a genuine love of being on the water.

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Comments

(4)
P
Paul E Chamberlain
Apr 3, 2026

Really cool fly. I would love to see how it looks/acts in the water. Although it may be a pain to film in action.

P
Peter Turnbull
Mar 27, 2026

Great looking fly . . . do you vary the coloration depending on location?

Peter T

A
Alex Mamourian
Mar 27, 2026

I really appreciate your sharing these fine details of technique since I have been enlarging my salt water fly skill set and have struggled with some of them. Beautiful fly, seems likely to be effective but I am not aware of the role of squid in the diet of NJ bass. Reminds me of the Kaiser’s navy in WW1, may be too nice of a fly to actually use since I’d feel bad about losing one to a snag or poorly tied knot. But I will use these techniques in my baitfish flies, thank you very much.

A
Alex Mamourian
Mar 27, 2026

I really appreciate your sharing these fine details of technique since I have been enlarging my salt water fly skill set and have struggled with some of them. Beautiful fly, seems likely to be effective but I am not aware of the role of squid in the diet of NJ bass. Reminds me of the Kaiser’s navy in WW1, may be too nice of a fly to actually use since I’d feel bad about losing one to a snag or poorly tied knot. But I will use these techniques in my baitfish flies, thank you very much.