One of the most popular styles of dry flies today is the parachute style. This fly, developed in the 1930's, has been in and out of favor for decades and right now is riding a crest of popularity. Let's look at it's beginnings and why it's such a good style of fly.
Credit a young tyer from Scotland named Helen Todd who had become employed as a tyer at a commercial tackle house. In 1932 she became interested in an American theory that if hackles could be tied "spent" one would have a more effective dry fly. She accomplished this by tying in a "mast" (what we call a post) of stiff pig bristles and the style was born. Her company began selling the flies in 1933.
Photo from Ernest Schwiebert's Trout
Wait, there's more!! Enter William Brush from Detroit Michigan with his patented parachute hook in 1934. This brainchild seems straightforward enough. When forming the hook just leave some extra wire and then bend it up at a 90 degree angle to the hook shank. Now you have a stiff wire post to wrap hackles on. You also have a much heavier hook which will take the DRY out of dry fly. I actually was given some of these back in the early 1970's. I still think that hook would work with todays genetic hackles and fine wire hooks, something that was in short supply years ago.
Why It Works
Parachutes work because they suspend the body of the fly in the surface film instead of on or above the surface like a traditional dry fly. That's where the insects are, in the film! Follow me here: You're standing in a stream during a good hendrickson, sulphur or BWO hatch, you name it. Insects are in the air and on the water and trout are breaking the surface. Now, look hard at the rise forms. One would think that you would constantly see the adult mayflies disappearing in those swirls but you see very few. That's because the most insects that are the easiest for the trout to grab are trying to break through the surface tension of the water. Some get through, many don't and it's easy pickings for the trout. This is the emerger or subimago stage.
A Better Parachute
Conventional Wisdom dies hard. We have been tying dry flies for close to 150 years and most of our mayfly imitations are our attempts to copy the ADULT stage of the mayfly which is not the choice stage for the trout. (Yes, I know that your traditional Adams catches trout but I bet you've witnessed some nerve wracking refusals as your traditional dry drifted over a feeding fish time and time again). It's time to change things up! If the most prevalent stage of a mayfly is the subimago stage then your fly should imitate it. If the Parachute Dry does this find the style of Parachute that does it best. Enter the Best Parachute: The Klinkhammer Style!
Why is it the best? It's as close to imitating that Mayfly stage as we are going to get. The "head" of the fly is poking through the water surface while the body is suspended below, just like the natural. That's why it's silly to tie parachutes with TAILS. You don't need or want them. Get that rear end of the fly down below the surface.
When tying Klinkhammer Parachutes don't get too dainty. Besides a post and hackle I use some buggy thorax material to give the impression of life and movement. (remember, the mayfly is busting through its nymphal shell. There's a lot of action going on there!!)
For those who don't want to tie parachutes but want the same effect I would suggest Bob Wyatts' DHE Emerger. The same principle as the Klinkhammer but deer hair is the secret sauce with this pattern. All of this is found in the Wyatt book What Trout Want, The Educated Trout and Other Myths.. Good winter reading!
P.S. Give yourself a break when tying drys by using the genetic pre-sized saddle hackles. Until they breed a rooster to grow one size of feather these saddles are your best bet.
Ken
11 comments:
Ken,
Excellent post. I always wanted to know the origins of this fly. Personally I would like to see that hook style again using the newer materials as you stated.
Good work!
Harold M.
Ken,
When you mentioned the types of insects that you encounter during a hatch you were not talking about tiny insects but mentioned larger ones like hendricksons. There seems to be those out there that think parachutes can only work on size 20 stuff. Not so. My 14 and 16 parachute adams are standard drys for me. Same with the Cahills. Thanks for mentioning the larger flies.
Rich
I think you've hit it right on the head with the fly design comments. I do like to add a shuck or a tail, purely for aesthetic reasons since the whole back half of the fly imitates the shuck, but I avoid materials that float, since this ruins the posture of the fly in the water. I will also add a fine wire rib to the abdomen at times to help the back half of the fly break through the film. Floatant should also be applied to the wing and hackle only so that the thorax and absorb water. (This is why I like the brush applicators for desiccant powder.)
I do like the traditional parachutes with the floating tails (hackle fibers, microfibbets, etc.) as well, but I see them more as spinner imitations. The splayed parachute hackle is a good rough imitation of spent wings
Hi Ken,
I'm wondering if I could get a copy of your Fly Fishers Guide To The Millers River. I'd love to learn about the Millers.
I'm a big fan of your blog, by the way, and have learned a lot just by reading it. Caught a nice Swift River rainbow last weekend on a soft hackle that I would have never known to try without reading you.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Best,
Ben Carlisle
Brendan,
I used to tie the shuck on most of the emerger patterns BUT I got fewer takes or the shuck was too buoyant or wasn't fine enough. If the pattern is a 16 or smaller I just use floss which sinks quickly leaving the "head" of the fly on the surface.
I love these discussions!!!!!!!
Ben,
Glad the blog is being read by you. Keep reading. I've sent the Guide to the Millers River.
Ken
One of my favorite dry/emerger patterns since around 2012 is the Mercer Missing link Caddis. It incorporates many of the attributes mentioned in the article and the comments. NO Tail, not shuck, super-thin body, and a parachutish like hackling around a caddis style-sort of wing. It works for pretty much any mayfly/caddis hatch and I don't really vary colors just the size. If you have not tried it ...google it and check it out next spring. I think you'll really like it. It has replaced the para-adams as my general searcher/workhorse/go-to pattern for a dry. Its a little more technical to tie but it just rides right and catches fish.
Parachutes....The money fly along with the Usual!
Bob T,
I like that fly!!!
Ken
My grandfather is William Avery Brush. I'm actually holding his patent for this from 1934 in my hand. Just ran into it while cleaning out some of my parents things. Knew of course about the Brush Runabout and his auto ventures but wasn't aware of this area of endeavors.
Kate
Whoops, typo on my recent post. Make that "Great" Grandfather. My Dad's, Mom's Dad.
Great article. Only 1 correction. Patent No.379343 was the patent for the parachute fly and was granted in 1932. I was glad to see the picture of the Partridge of Redditch parachute hook as it is not easy to find.
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