Parachute question

[Roland58 0]

Is there a function to a 'parachute' fly?.....or is it strictly a decoration?

It doesn't seem to resemble any part of a real bait, maybe it affects the casting ability?

 

Any help is much appreciated.

[Fish For Life 0]

Im pretty sure its just a really good way to make your fly float. With the hackle splayed out horizontal on the surface the fly is suited to float better. With more surface area on the water it is harder to break the surface tension resulting in a higher better floating fly.

[mikechell 0]

Memory sucks, so I might be wrong about this. I believe it started for just the reason it's named. It's a parachute.

The design was intended to make the fly always land correctly on the water.

 

I don't tie them, so I am only stating what I "think" I remember.

[SBPatt 0]

The post, depending on the materials you use, can provide greater visibility and as Fish For Life said you get the hackle covering a greater surface area while allowing the body to float on the water, more like a real insect which may help fool some picky fish. And, like Mike said, tied correctly they will land right side up more often than not.

 

Regards,

Scott

[SilverCreek 0]

Is there a function to a 'parachute' fly?.....or is it strictly a decoration?

It doesn't seem to resemble any part of a real bait, maybe it affects the casting ability?

 

Any help is much appreciated.

 

 

A parachute fly really NOT a dry fly. The hackle is ABOVE the body, hence the parachute hackle does NOT float the body ON the surface film as the body of subimago form of a mayfly. Rather the body is suspended IN the film and the parachute fly represents a late stage emerger.

 

Gary Borger published an article in Fly Fisherman Magasine titled, "Film Flies - The Five Stages of Insect Emergence and The Best Flies to Imitate Them"

 

Here is where the paracute fly fits:

 

"TStage 3. The insect pulls its head out of the shuck, followed almost immediately by the legs. At this point it enters stage 3, which is matched perfectly by the universal emerger: a Parachute Adams (or other fly with an upright parachute post such as the Klinkhåmer). [see “The Klinkhåmer Special” in the Dec. 2006 issue for more details. The Editor.]

 

All three of the surface-emerging insect groups look the same during this stage. That’s why the Parachute Adams is the world’s number 1 dry fly: it matches any mayfly, caddis, or midge in stage 3.

Most fly fishers think of the Parachute Adams as an adult dun imitation, but in reality it is an emerger. In stage 3 the nymphal or pupal body is just under the film and the legs are spread out on the surface to support the body. The body sticks almost straight up, with the wings plastered tightly along the top of the thorax as they continue pulling up and out of the wing pads.

Light reflecting off the upright body with the wings plastered tight along the top, gives the emerging insect a shining, light-colored look.

Still not convinced? Toss a Parachute Adams in a glass of water and view its position."

A more complete explanation is available in Gary's Book, Fishing the Film

[Roland58 0]

Wow! I feel like an expert in the realm of parachute flies now. I wish to thank each of you gentlemen for taking the time to share your knowledge wirh me.....it is much appreciated!

 

Stay safe and catch a big one! Or two or three or four.....

[Bruce Derington 0]

The fly was originally developed by a Scottish women in early. 30's somehow it found it's way here and in 1934 Bill Brush from Detroit michigan patented it, blah, blah , blah.

It allows the fly to float low , I use this, and compara duns when fishing spinners or as a searching pattern.

Oh yeah, it's for decoration , decorating the corner of a trout's lip

[flytire 0]

yup what bruce said

 

http://www.kossiedun.com.au/parachutehackles.htm

[Roland58 0]

I think I will stick with Bruce's explanation after reading the links posted.......my brain is beginning to bleed. Good show Bruce, it is strictly decoration for a trout's lip......'nuff sed.

[Crackaig 0]

My experience bears out Silver's point. Using the same saddle hackle, wing post material, CdL feather, and dubbing. I tied some parachute hackled flies and some with the hackle wrapped around the hook shank either side of a wing post. Then trimmed the hackle flat below the hook shank. Other than the way the hackle was wound the flies were essentially the same.

 

On several occasions I have had fish refuse the parachute, but take the thorax version. Strangely never the opposite way around. After this I stopped using a parachute to represent adult flies. Now I use them only for emergers.

 

Cheers,

C.

[Dave G. 0]

My experience bears out Silver's point. Using the same saddle hackle, wing post material, CdL feather, and dubbing. I tied some parachute hackled flies and some with the hackle wrapped around the hook shank either side of a wing post. Then trimmed the hackle flat below the hook shank. Other than the way the hackle was wound the flies were essentially the same.

 

On several occasions I have had fish refuse the parachute, but take the thorax version. Strangely never the opposite way around. After this I stopped using a parachute to represent adult flies. Now I use them only for emergers.

 

Cheers,

C.

Same experience here.

 

For caddis I use no parachute though. I tie an actual emerger, the dry, be that elk hair or West Branch ( turkey wing) dries.. One day if there is time left lol, I will get around to some trailing shuck flies.

[Gene L 0]

I don't tie them either, but I think you can use bigger hackle and the fly will still land upright. I have tied them enough to know I don't care for the process.I've never fished them so don't know their effectiveness. Lots of people swear by them.

[Dave G. 0]

I think the most realistic foot print on the water is to cut a v out of the bottom of a traditional fly and they generally land upright as well. I think for me part of tying is to like the fly myself, not just the fish liking it. To that end I like a more classic look than the parachutes give. Cutting the v on the bottom is my compromise. Cutting the V puts a fairly pointed footprint on the water and lowers the body so the body might sit on the water a bit. But a parachute basically submerges the body or certainly places it deeper.

 

I watched a video on inverted parachutes, where the wing is tied under the body and wondered how often this might land upside down !

 

All that said I did land a corker of a LLS up in Maine on about a size 16 parachute Royal Coachman. But I've caught even bigger ones on a large Wolff tied traditional, and have done that consistently to get a large salmon rising in front of me that won't take a caddis in an obvious caddis hatch. I read an article once that said to try some crazy big off fly from the obvious hatch on a stubborn fish. It works sometimes is best I can say !!

[crazy4oldcars 0]

I've tied 2 of them, because you have to or the won't let you fish with a fly rod.

I made it work, but it wasn't a fun process for me, and the panfish I torment don't care one way or the other.

I don't fish traditional dry flies at any rate. My dry fly is a foam spider.

 

Kirk B.

[SilverCreek 0]

I think the most realistic foot print on the water is to cut a v out of the bottom of a traditional fly and they generally land upright as well. I think for me part of tying is to like the fly myself, not just the fish liking it. To that end I like a more classic look than the parachutes give. Cutting the v on the bottom is my compromise. Cutting the V puts a fairly pointed footprint on the water and lowers the body so the body might sit on the water a bit. But a parachute basically submerges the body or certainly places it deeper.

 

I watched a video on inverted parachutes, where the wing is tied under the body and wondered how often this might land upside down !

 

All that said I did land a corker of a LLS up in Maine on about a size 16 parachute Royal Coachman. But I've caught even bigger ones on a large Wolff tied traditional, and have done that consistently to get a large salmon rising in front of me that won't take a caddis in an obvious caddis hatch. I read an article once that said to try some crazy big off fly from the obvious hatch on a stubborn fish. It works sometimes is best I can say !!

My vote for most realistic mayfly dun pattern would be the Swisher and Richards no hackle dun, now called the sidewinder dun from Selective Trout.

https://books.google.com/books?id=ZE1XF5se70EC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=swisher+richards+sidewinder+on+water&source=bl&ots=ITrvi6x9GA&sig=09v6o-1t-4uzEP8Qz4PKH2ijCRE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CFAQ6AEwC2oVChMIwIaQiNv5yAIVylw-Ch1XcAHp#v=onepage&q=swisher%20richards%20sidewinder%20on%20water&f=false

http://www.dougswisher.com/Important%20Past%20Fly%20Pattern/flies_from_the_past.htm

Sidewinder on the water:

Mayfly dun on the water:

Sidewinder Fly: