Irish Mayfly

[Cold 0]

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[Kudu 0]

Pretty! Thanks guys!

[willhamo 0]

 

Those are fantastic. I bet they would do well on the spring creeks that I fish.

Could you post a recipe?

 

Hi rstaight,

 

I'll just give a general receipe but you can chop and change as suits:

 

Hook: Usually use wet fly sz 10/12.

Tail: Approx 4/6 pheasant tail fibers or bronze mallard.

Body: Usually seals fur - olive/yellow/golden olive etc. Sometimes use raffia.

Rib: oval tinsel or wire or floss

Body Hackle: Mainly use rooster saddles, in similar colours to body

Front Hackles: French partridge in various dyed colours, sometimes use dyed grey partridge as a second hackle. Dyed mallard flanks also used for a Gosling effect. No wood ducks in Ireland but I suspect the lemon flank feathers would look great. Golden pheasant breast feathers can also be used.

 

Great fun to tie as you can pretty much use anything and freelance as you go. Best of luck.

[Hatchet Jack 0]

Thanks for the recipe, willhamo.

 

What's the bright tail material used on the flies that don't have the pheasant tail fibres or bronze mallard?

 

The flies are captivating & I bet they would work in riffles immediately above a plunge pool

in the evening. Like around dusk, right before the Hex come off the water, heh-heh-heh........

 

BTW - what species of trout are feeding on these flies?

[willhamo 0]

The bright tail material is uni floss neon or glow brite floss.

 

Brown trout (Salmo trutta).

[redietz 0]

 

 

Mayfly?

Indeed it is Whatfly. In Ireland, on the limestone loughs there is a tradition of fishing wet flies, like this superb example, when the Mayfly are hatching. They really do work. Usually they are fished high in the water, just wet. Anglers in Ireland can get very picky over the colours of materials used in these flies. I've tied up orders of them, having struggled to get the right material and had them returned as there is a variation in colour between dye lots.

 

Cheers,

C.

 

 

And why should one assume that if you fish this during a mayfly hatch, that the fish (planters?) are actually taking it as a mayfly? I do not wish to restart the endless debate between imitative and impressionistic patterns, nor do I wish to discuss the relative merits of traditional wet fly patterns. Just had to comment that, this pattern is one very odd looking mayfly.

 

Understand that "Mayfly", on the other side of the Atlantic, mean roughly the same as "Green Drake" does on this side. They're large, meaty insects and need a large, meaty fly to imitate them

[AZWoolybugger 0]

This is a great discussion, and thanks for the book recommendation...looks like it'll be a bit of a challenge to find it from a US vendor, but I'm persistent and patient....

I have purchased books from Anglebooks / Coch-Y-Bonddu several times over the years and never had a problem. The shipping charges are much better per book when I purchased two or more at one time. They do have lots of good books I can't find over here and the prices are generally much better for the rare editions.

 

Willhamo, I always enjoy seeing your Mayflies. Always very nicely done!