salmobytes

With a rooster feather replacing the Zelon dubbing loop

Daiichi 1130 is lighter guage, would be a better choice. 1120 is what I had on hand.

This one is tied on a #18 Daiici 1120. I often tie them on the same hook at size #20 So the overall fly size is more like 16 or 18. A size 14 or 16 Daiichi hook would make a good green drake pattern. Darell asked "Is that a more realistic profile?" Obviously yes, I think. Perhaps the real question would be "Does that make any difference?" Maybe some difference but not much. On places like the Paradise Valley (Montana) spring creeks or Silver Creek in Idaho where there are a lot of both rising fish and fishermen the fish do get hard to catch. If any given riser refuses your favorite fly more that twice, some guides (me) will tell you to switch flies. Switch profiles. Go from a Sparkle Dun to a spent wing or an emerger. Or to a fly like mine. Show them something different. More different is more powerful that a little different. That's what they taught me when I first started guiding on the creeks.

Bottom Mounted Parachute

A bottom mounted parachute with the hackle made from a Zelon dubbing loop instead of a feather

....stemming from two questions. How do you make a huge streamer still light enough to cast with a fly rod, and how do you make is super flexible to boot.

I'm still not sure what this is exactly. But it does seem to be needing an integrated shelled hook, using braided backing rather than mono.

:=))

....today's experiment. It should evolve a bit. Next few days. Duck flank wing. Zelon right hackle. I need to figure out how to spin that Zelon 360 degrees around instead of left and right, like a bow tie. The duck flank has a small clump of deer hair and fabric cement underneath the tie-down spot, which helps to keep the wing from standing up.

How do I find out more about your necks?

...one more, made this moring. #20 hook. Badger gurard hairs, olive-dyed duck flank, Senyo Laser Dub and grizzly hackle (if I had olive-dyed grizzly I would have used it)

Needle flies don't have to be dry flies. I like tying without a hook in the way.......at least until the last step

RE. shape Excellent question. You can heat a beading needle with cigarette lighter and bend it,. and tie on top of that. But then it becomes too hard to slide the fly body off the needle. I tie on a straight #10 beading needle, with the point of the needle flush with the base of the tails. Tie it. Slide it off the needle. Bend the body as needed. Set it aside to cure. Some fabric cements cure hard. Aleene's Flexible Stretchable says soft and gooey. But still holds. These are NOT stiff fly bodies. They do flex. But they also remember what ever shape they had when the glue first cures.