Dry Fly Swap Flies
Tied by Jim A. Fox (Calgary Alberta CAN)
Hook: #14 94840 Std. dry fly hook
Thread: 8/0 black
Tail: medium dun micro fibers
Body: fine grey dubbing (antron/muskrat blend)
Hackle: grizzly
Wing: medium dun micro fibers
Wrap the thread to the bend and tie on four or five micro fibers for the
tail and clip the ends. This pattern can be tied with the tail straight or
split. either way, the tail should be just a bit longer than the hook shank. After
tying in the tail, dub a tapered body half the length of the shank. Tie
in a grizzly hackle and four or five more micro fibers for the wing. The
micro fibers should be tied in by their buts, with the tips facing back.
Dub a level thorax, leaving *ample* room to tie in the hackle & wing.
Wrap three or four turns of hackle through the thorax and tie off. Now,
bend the micro fibers forward and fix them with a couple of wraps (not
too tight). You should now see the microfibers bent forward through the
hackle. Insert your dubbing needle under the looped-over fibers and pull
them up just above the hackle. Now they should resemble a wing.
Sometimes you will have to fiddle with it a bit to get the size right.
Once the wing is the size and shape you want, put a couple more wraps
over the fibers and trim the ends. Dub the rest of the shank, make a
small head, whip finish and cement.
This is a very durable fly which seems to work well when the dubbing
isn't too tight (a little fuzzy).
Tied by David A. Guinee (Ann Arbor MI)
Hook: Dry Fly (8-18)
Thread: Red
Tail: Deer hair bleached to tan/cream, tied short
Wing: Bleached deer hair, tied comparadun style
Body: Cream fur dubbing (I use bleached Australian oppossum)
1. Stack and tie in a clump of deer hair. I use coastal deer hair. Tie it
in just forward of the center of the hook shank. Bind down and clip the
butts. If you're me, spin the hair back to the top of the hook and secure
it again.
2. Push the hair up with your bobbin-hand thumbnail, so it will flare out
and form a semicircle, or something close to it. Bring the thread up and
along your thumbnail a couple of times to prop the wing up in this position.
3. Stack a smaller clump of hair for the tail. Trim the clump so that the
butts will join neatly with the wing butts and tie in place. The tail
should be short. I tie loose wraps and the back of the tail and tighter
ones on the butts to keep the tail from flaring.
4. Dub a fur body. The body should be pretty robust, and it should
support the wing in position. Dub behind and in front of the wing.
5. For a thread head and whip finish.
Notes: This is a great searching pattern. I caught my first big Vermont
rainbow (17" is big to me) on one just out of Rochester on the White
River. This is the pattern as Eric Leiser presents it in *The Book of
Fly Patterns*. He also mentions a dark version using natural gray/brown
deer hair and muskrat fur. The Orvis pattern index also includes the
following variants.
Wing/Tail Body
Light tan elk or deer Amber fur or poly
Dyed gray deer hair Muskrat
Dyed Brown deer hair Brown fur or poly
Moose hair Mahogany fur or poly
Dyed dary gray deer hair Oliver fur or poly.
Tied by Rod Forth (St Louis MO)
Hook: Mustad 94840, Sizes 8-18
Thread: Gray
Tip: Silver tinsel
Tail: Grizzly hackle fibers
Rear Hackle: Grizzly. (according to Hellekson) Hackle barbules should only extend to point of the hook (I use one size smaller than front)
Body: Peacock herl. Reverse wrap the body fine silver wire.
Front Hackle: Grizzly
Tying instructions:
Tie on tinsel to a point a little more than 1/3 of the way toward the bend,
wrap back to end of hook. Tie in tail. Tie in rear hackle, wrap forward 3-4
turns. Tie in herl and wire. Wrap herl forward to head of fly. Reverse wrap
with wire and tie off. Tie in front hackle, wrap 3-4 turns. Tie off, whip
finish.
Hints or comments about the fly:
Found the fly in Terry Hellekson's book, "Popular Fly Patterns". I tried it
because of his remark ("I have taken more fish with it over the past three
or four seasons than any other fly.") and because it combines the two
materials that seem to me be the most constant in terms of attracting
trout: peacock herl and grizzly hackle. (at least on Meremec, Current and
Crane Creek in MO) It also floats, skates better than a Griffiths Gnat.
In addition to fishing is upstream as a normal dry, I find that "skating"
it across the water on its down stream drift is very productive. It also
works well skipped under the surface and fished as a wet.
Tied by Earle Grossman (Pembroke NH)
Hook: Standard Dry Fly, down eye or straight eye, size 16-28
Thread: 8/0 olive Uni-Thread
Tail: Grizzly Hackle Fibers
Body: Fine olive dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly
1. Attach thread behind eye and wrap back to bend, creating a smooth foundation.
2. Tie in tail on top of hook.
3. Dub a very small cigar-shaped body, ending about one-third of body length from hook eye.
4. Tie in hackle and wrap 2-3 turns around hook, then tie off and remove excess.
5. Whip finish head, being sure not to cover back of eye with thread wraps.
Tied by Dave Liverman (St Johns Newfoundland CAN)
Hook: Mustad 94833 #8
thread: green
tail white calf hair
wing white calf hair
body dubbed olive brown (hareline fur dubbing #30)
hackle: grizzly saddle hackle
Tying instructions:-
If you really want to follow Lee Wulff, this should be done without the
benefit of a vice!. Tie in the tail, bring thread forward to wing tie in
point. Tie in bunch of calf hair pointing forward. Bring thread in front,
and build up until wing stands upright. Divide, and separate with figure 8
of thread. Tie in 2 long grizzly hackles of appropriate size. Bring thread
back to tail, and dub a thick buggy body. bring thread in front of wing.
Wrap 1st hackle 3-4 wraps behind wing and 1-2 in front. Second hackle, 2
behind, 4 in front. Half hitch or whip finish.
Tied by Peter Henry (Smithers BC CAN)
Hook: Mustad 94842, sizes 10-18
Thread: Black
Tail: Grizzly hackle fibers
Body: Stripped grizzly hackle stem
Wing: Grizzly hackle tips
Hackle: Grizzly
In the north this pattern is effective for trout, grayling and whitefish, in still and moving waters. Use larger sizes early in the season to conincide with the emergence of overwintering mosquitos (the big slow ones). Later in the season switch to smaller sizes to match the naturals.
In areas where the biomass of mosquitos seems to exceed mammaliam biomass by about 1000:1, this fly is essential.
Tied by W. A. Wells (Danville VA)
HOOK: Midge or standard dry fly, sizes 24 to 12
THREAD: Olive or black 8/0
HACKLE: Grizzly
BODY: Peacock herl
Start the thread and at the bend tie in hackle. Tie in peacock herl, trim
end and wrap thread to just behind hook eye. Wrap herl forward in
consecutive turns and secure with two-three wraps of thread. Trim herl's
end and then palmer hackle up the body using four-six turns. Secure hackle
tip, trim, whip finish.
On the Smith River here in Virginia (a tailwater fishery) I have had
consistently good experience with this fly. I generally try to have this
one on at the end of the day (sunset approaching) when the browns are rising
rhythmically in the smooth glides. If they reject the fly, I trim the
hackle a little closer until they change their minds.
Tied by Jim Stangowitz (Calgary Alberta CAN)
Hook: Standard Dry Fly sizes 8 - 20 (as tied, size 12)
Thread: Olive Unithread, 6/0
Tail: Microfibetts - Mahogany, brown, or olive (barred with felt
pen)
Body: Rear half, olive thread (lacquered) - Front half, olive
dubbing
Wing: Woodduck flank, tied single upright
Hackles: Mixed brown and grizzly
Originated at GAFBC in August of 1995. I first tied this as an
early morning inspiration for that day's hatch of Blue-winged Olives.
It became apparent that it had other applications. It is now my
searching dry fly (much like an Adams). I noticed that the BWO's (and
indeed most mayflies) float down the current with their wings held aloft
like sails. That is why I went to the single wing. I was very surprised
to see in October's American Angler that the likes of Art Sheck agree.
The tailing material was selected for ease of tying on smaller
flies and for durability on all sizes. I soon found out that the deer
hair I had originally chosen, was destroyed after 3 or 4 fish.
The fly has proved effective on many Southern Alberta trout
streams and has worked well in everything from choppy water to slow
moving flat currents. It has caught rainbows, browns, cutthroats, and
mountain whitefish. It has worked well to both rising fish and to bring
up fish from moderate depths.
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This page compiled by Rick Lalliss for the FF@ Dry Fly Swap.
Copyright 1995, Rick Lalliss and Respective Authors
EMail: lalliss@aros.net
