Big Dry Fly Patterns

[Old Hat 0]

Question:

What are your thoughts on the best "style" of dry fly for large mayfly patterns? Sizes larger than #10. Parachutes, Wulff, Catskill, Klinkhammer, deer hair wing, Quigley Cripple etc...

[phg 0]

The largest dry fly I tie is a size 10 coffin fly for the green drake hatch in eastern TN. It's a pretty straight forward Catskill style fly. I'm not sure if that's the largest Mayfly, here in the East, but it's the largest I'm aware of.

[vicrider 0]

I've got some size 10 Wulff style flies I've tied with a foam wrapped body, deer hair tail, calf tail wing, and hackle that scales out a full size 10. I tied these so bass have something decent to take a shot at on top that won't sink with smaller beadhead down below for 'gills. Big trout in fast water? Don't know...haven't been there yet.

[flyty1 0]

Parachutes all the way! You can make the hackle oversize on any size fly. The biggest I have made was a #8 all white - for a podamanthus hatch.

[Bruce Norikane 0]

For big drakes, I like Scott's (SBPatt) Carnage style patterns. He has dozens of SBS tutorials that show the tying steps in detailed and beautiful photographs.

 

Here's one from the Step by Step Patterns and Tutorials forum:

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=82916

 

[spiralspey 0]

I like to fish emergers if I can, my favorite is a kinkhammer variation. If I'm fishing dries I go with extended body parachutes.

[Old Hat 0]

Thanks guys for the input. Doesn't seem like there is too much of a consensus. I was thinking Isonychia which most were saying in the #8-#10 range. I usually just carry Quigley Cripple patterns for mayflies this size but wanted to add some true dries to the mix. Looks like I will just mix it up then with the patterns.

 

Bruce thanks for sharing that one. Doesn't look like too bad of a tie.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

This is a go-to Iso pattern in northern Michigan -- Rusty's White Knot.

 

 

 

[whatfly 0]

Largest mayfly I fish is a #6 for Hex. I find there is no real difference in the types of patterns use although foam becomes more useful with larger patterns so flies such as the 'carnage-style' become a bit more practical in the larger sizes. Finding good hackle in the right color is usually a much bigger dilemma.

[bulb 0]

I would tie an extended body style dry like the one bruce posted but with a body made out of silicone and dubbing, got the idea from a mediocre tutorial on youtube. Essentially you coat a needle in silicone and while rotating it you "feed" it with small pinches of dubbing. when the desired thickness is reached finish off with a last layer of silicone, wipe off the excess and take the finished body off the needle to dry. Works great from size 16 up to the very large 👍

[mikechell 0]

Essentially you coat a needle in silicone and while rotating it you "feed" it with small pinches of dubbing. when the desired thickness is reached finish off with a last layer of silicone, wipe off the excess and take the finished body off the needle to dry. Works great from size 16 up to the very large

I made a bunch of bodies like this ... thought they'd be pretty neat. But they're one hit flies. Each one was destroyed after just one hit. I don't make them any more.

[bulb 0]

Thats interesting mike, the ones I've fished have held upp well. maybe the type of dubbing used make a big difference? I used super fine dry fly dubbing soaked in liberal amounts of silicone

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Bulb, I assume you fished trout with them, and Mike fished bass and panfish.

 

 

The trout take is much more subtle and there is more room in the mouth to keep from crushing the fly. In a bluegills, they just tear up anything... haha.

[mikechell 0]

That's a possible explanation.

[bulb 0]

thats very true fisherboy, and I've used that type of fly for grayling alot and their takes are even more gentle than trouts...