Thinking Of Dries
"For me, the study of aquatic insects and their transformations is engaging in an of itself. It also increases my understanding of the river, the fish and their prey. Learning where the food is will help you find the fish". - Thomas Ames, Jr. from Hatch Guide For New England Streams
Dry flies have certainly changed during my fly fishing years. Decades ago hackled dries ruled the waters but hackle proved over time to be inferior to things like deer hair and snowshoe fur and fine synthetics.
Now, I stopped tying to "pattern" years ago and now tie "suggestively" which means that the size and shape are the most important elements in creating a dry fly with color coming in a distant third. The style of dry fly is important too.
The Comparadun - This is the F150 of dry flies!!! Simple, rugged, takes a beating and keeps on catching trout. It's half dry fly and half emerger because that body sits right down in the surface film instead of dancing on hackle points. In fact, the more waterlogged the fly the better it fishes. That deer hair post can be seen a mile away.
The main ingredient to this pattern is the deer hair used for the wing. The ONLY deer hair that you want to use is from the mask (face), legs and ears. Body hair is too long and course for those size 14 and smaller flies. If you like you can touch up the wings with a sharpie but it really isn't necessary.
My bodies are all ultra fine synthetics. They are stronger than natural fur and can position that deer hair very securely.
I use deer hair down to size 18 or 20 and then make the switch to fine synthetics.
A close runner up (and closing fast) is Bob Wyatt's DHE (Deer Hair Emerger). This stuck-in-the-surface-film-generic-pattern works because it looks like EVERY mayfly or caddis that is trying to break through the surface film. You just have to change the sizes.
Think of the times you've seen mayflies in the air and trout rising but you can't see mayflies on the water and if you do the trout may ignore them and take something else. That something else is an emerger stuck in the film. They are the easiest prey that a trout can consume. The DHE does the trick and is simple to tie. Scud hooks, mask hair, some 140 denier thread for the body and course hares ear for the thorax will do it all.
Wyatt's book, What Trout Want explains the whole thing!!
Now, I stopped tying to "pattern" years ago and now tie "suggestively" which means that the size and shape are the most important elements in creating a dry fly with color coming in a distant third. The style of dry fly is important too.
The Comparadun - This is the F150 of dry flies!!! Simple, rugged, takes a beating and keeps on catching trout. It's half dry fly and half emerger because that body sits right down in the surface film instead of dancing on hackle points. In fact, the more waterlogged the fly the better it fishes. That deer hair post can be seen a mile away.
The main ingredient to this pattern is the deer hair used for the wing. The ONLY deer hair that you want to use is from the mask (face), legs and ears. Body hair is too long and course for those size 14 and smaller flies. If you like you can touch up the wings with a sharpie but it really isn't necessary.
My bodies are all ultra fine synthetics. They are stronger than natural fur and can position that deer hair very securely.
I use deer hair down to size 18 or 20 and then make the switch to fine synthetics.
A close runner up (and closing fast) is Bob Wyatt's DHE (Deer Hair Emerger). This stuck-in-the-surface-film-generic-pattern works because it looks like EVERY mayfly or caddis that is trying to break through the surface film. You just have to change the sizes.
Think of the times you've seen mayflies in the air and trout rising but you can't see mayflies on the water and if you do the trout may ignore them and take something else. That something else is an emerger stuck in the film. They are the easiest prey that a trout can consume. The DHE does the trick and is simple to tie. Scud hooks, mask hair, some 140 denier thread for the body and course hares ear for the thorax will do it all.
Wyatt's book, What Trout Want explains the whole thing!!
Rain - Just In time
Guess what? After the wettest July on record we have had a very dry August. Today (8/19) we are expected to get .85 inches of rain which will bring things up for this weekend. Enjoy it or book a trip for this Fall!!
Ken
5 comments:
Dear Ken,
Although I too am a fan of the Comparadun, I've come to prefer what many consider to be its successor pattern: the Improved Sparkle Dun originated by Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies. For those interested, Mathews himself describes the development of this pattern on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vm3Brh3l2g
The addition of Z-lon to the ISD's deer hair wing improves visibility and flotation, and its Z-lon trailing shuck adds an important 'trigger' notably absent in Wyatt's DHE, SHE, and DHS patterns. As an experienced fly tyer I appreciate how the continuous strand of Z-lon from posted wing to shuck permits the creation of a smoothly-tapered thread abdomen and neatly-dubbed thorax.
The ISD can be tied on straight-shank and curved-shank hooks, from sizes 12 to 24, in the full palette of mayfly colors. It's an elegant fly style which I find superior to Wyatt's patterns in flotation, durability, and - most importantly - efficacy. Highly recommended.
-Mike
Mike,
All good points.
Ken
It all comes down to confidence and presentation. I like all of the patterns both Mike and Ken speak about. Not much mention of CDC or Parachutes but I like those as well. If you believe in your fly it will fish better. In the tiny fly sizes I will do a comparadun style with snowshoe hair or CDC as the wing the snowshoe is preferred because you cannot sink the fly...if you look up Cannon's Bunny Dun you will know what I am talking about and they are super visible. I will switch to CDC duns if the bunny dun wont catch fish for me. Mid-sized fly (14-16) I will often go with a traditional deer hair winged comparadun with the zelon shuck(ISD), 12-14 will find me sitting with a parachute most often but I do fish parachutes down to as small as I can tie them (22 on a good day). And when presented with an opportunity (relatively flat waters and a good hatch) I will pull out my traditional Catskill dries...my favorite is the Atherton #5. They are not as effective but I like to tie them and still fish well; additionally, they are about as beautiful a fly as you could get if tied well and I'd hate to think they are left in the trash bin of progress
Hit the EB Saturday morning for a short session before the storm messing things up for awhile ( I hope not! ) and took a good brown and a 5 or 6 inch perfect rainbow with par marks, that little guy fought harder then the brown! Could he of been wild? A hatchery escapee that made it to the East branch? Im not sure but it was a very cool catch
Anonymous6:17,
The 6 inch rainbow is interesting. A very slim chance that it was born in the river. Most likely dumped in by mistake this past Spring.
BobT,
It's been a while since I fished a traditional Catskill dry.
Ken
Post a Comment