A Dry Fly

[Brodrash 0]

With the autumn fishing season coming up I've began dabbling in dry flies. The attached photo is my 1st dry I've ever tied. It resembles a caddis pattern and has foam under the badger hair wing. I know foam isn't really "traditional", but I thought it would be nice to not have to lather it in floatant, and in my opinion it doesn't really affect the appearance of the fly either. What do you guy think of it?

 

p.s. Sorry about the poor photo I tied this fly while at work so I had to snap a quick pic while I was on lunch

[carpflyguy 0]

Nice and simple, and definitely looks like a caddis. Nice job!

[Cold 0]

.

[mvendon 0]

 

 

p.s. Sorry about the poor photo I tied this fly while at work so I had to snap a quick pic while I was on lunch

 

I wish I could tie flies where I work ! Not bad at all . I would save it and tie a few more for fishing. It's nice to save the first flies you tie just to compare or look at later on.

 

Regards,

Mark

[FlaFly 0]

I don't know whether the dry fly purists would consider it a true dry fly with foam, but the fishes don't care. I agree, if you want your boat to float, don't make it out of lead. I'd like to try some foam-based things with wings. Actually deer hair for wings should float without foam, or so I've been told.

[DrVette 0]

I don't know whether the dry fly purists would consider it a true dry fly with foam, but the fishes don't care. I agree, if you want your boat to float, don't make it out of lead. I'd like to try some foam-based things with wings. Actually deer hair for wings should float without foam, or so I've been told.

 

I use to be a so called purist...still try to follow that line when i can...but there are too many things that have been invented since they wrote those lines...

You tied a great fly. you merged the styles to your own. That is the true art of this hobby/obsession.

My only complaint with this fly as a purist is that you did not select the correct size hackle.

Why is it that all of the newbies seem to be using over sized stiff hackle instead of smaller more feathered?

It looks like no-one is teaching them the differences...I am going in search of a GOOD write-up on selecting hackle, I still like to read such articles as i find they tend to teach me something new each time.

[Brodrash 0]

Thanks everyone! I believe there is a fine line between traditional techniques and what you find works. I as well as most people cross that line all the time. However I definitely can appreciate traditional, old school ways. Tyers that carry on this traditions have my admiration.

[Brodrash 0]

 

I don't know whether the dry fly purists would consider it a true dry fly with foam, but the fishes don't care. I agree, if you want your boat to float, don't make it out of lead. I'd like to try some foam-based things with wings. Actually deer hair for wings should float without foam, or so I've been told.

 

I use to be a so called purist...still try to follow that line when i can...but there are too many things that have been invented since they wrote those lines...

You tied a great fly. you merged the styles to your own. That is the true art of this hobby/obsession.

My only complaint with this fly as a purist is that you did not select the correct size hackle.

Why is it that all of the newbies seem to be using over sized stiff hackle instead of smaller more feathered?

It looks like no-one is teaching them the differences...I am going in search of a GOOD write-up on selecting hackle, I still like to read such articles as i find they tend to teach me something new each time.

 

Ill be on the look out for that article. I put in a search for that very subject but didn't have any succses

[GC59 0]

I like the foam idea, the hackle looks a little light, 2 more turns and that fly would float like a cork. good job.

[Brodrash 0]

That dog will hunt.

 

What kind of hair did you use for the overwing?

It is some badger hair

[FlaFly 0]

I thought the same thing about the hackle.... need a few more turns, but I couldn't say whether it would make the fly work any better. I suspect the long hackles, while they might help make the lure weedless, might also interfere with setting the hook. Somewhere I saw a diagram that included things like length of tails, hackles, etc. I'll see if I can find it.

[josephcsylvia 0]

That looks like a roll of TP you got your fly displayed on, were exactly do you tie these flies at work. Lol

 

Nice job. Others have already made suggestions to help

[flytire 0]

 

 

what you have attempted to tie is a "puterbaugh caddis"

 

here is a video for future reference

 

[FlaFly 0]

Well, I found something.... not the one I was thinking about, but go to http://www.flyanglersonline.com >Fly tying > Beginner Tying> part 15 "the basic dry fly"... and guess what. The hackle is longer than the hook gape. According to Al Campbell, at least. So what do I know?

[FlaFly 0]

I found one more thing you might like... on Red's Fly Shop website, he has a fly tied just about like yours, with a dubbed body (I think), a wing of foam, and upper wing of deer hair (like a caddis), and sili legs. He calls it the Gypsy King Dry Fly and calls it a stonefly but it doesn't look anything like a stonefly to me... more like a caddis with spider legs. It's pretty though.