The sinking dry fly

[spinsheet 0]

I just started tenkara fishing and decided to tie a tenkara style reverse hackle dry fly. The standard version of this fly has a pretty heavy tread head followed by a reverse hackled cock feather collar and behind that a built up thread body. Instead of the thread head I used dry fly dubbing followed by the hackle and the thread body. I treated it with Gink about two days before using it. It only took about 6 casts before it started sinking. I used my Loon desiccant on it and that worked for another 6 casts and it started sinking again.

 

Would a thread head have floated the fly better than using dry fly dubbing? Perhaps I used too much thread in the body of the fly? I can post an image of the fly but don't have one available at the moment.

[CM_Stewart 0]

There are many traditional styles of tenkara flies that were used in Japan, nearly all of them, including the one people in the US refer to as "tenkara" style, are wet flies and were never intended to float.

 

If you want to fish a dry fly, you will probably find that flies designed to float will work better. For fishing with a tenkara rod, I prefer a CDC & Elk, which floats well, catches fish, and has an aerodynamic delta shape that makes it easier to cast with a light tenkara line.

[spinsheet 0]

Chris, thanks for the info. On your DVD I mistakenly thought the first three flies, the Ishigaki Kebaris tied by you, Daniel, and Dr. Ishigaki, were meant to be dry flies as they were tied on dry fly hooks with dry fly hackle. Was I wrong on this assumption? If so, and it seems that's the case, why the dry fly hook and the dry fly hackle instead of wet fly hooks and a webbier softer hackle?

 

Thanks for a great DVD, I tied a few of the CDC & Elk and those things float like a cork.