Hi Everybody!
Doug Pullen introduced 20 fly tyers to furling flies. This tying technique is well explained below in Doug's notes. Thanks Doug for another excellent presentation.
Remember that there is no fly tying next week because of Spring Break in the schools.
Our final session of the year is Monday March 31st. Don Andersen is our presenter. This is one presentation that you want to take in. The theme is micro leeches and boobies.
I am also in the process of setting up casting lessons with Maxwell Robinson. This would include both spey and single handed casting. Let Bob know if you are interested and he will set up a date!
My fly presentations have always been designed to not only present effective fly patterns but also to develop your skills as fly tiers and give you a better understanding on why the flies work..
It was once said that there is nothing new left to be discovered in fly tying. Most of the so-called modern fly patterns that you see in magazines, books and on the Internet are earlier patterns that use newly manufactured materials and adopting existing tying techniques to achieve a new look.
Our artificial fly patterns irrespective of the materials used allows us to simulate wings, tails, legs, antennas, eyes, thoraxes and abdomens often called bodies. These bodies can be built directly on the hook shank or be developed as an extended body which extends past the bend of the hook.
Extended fly body patterns have been around for more than a century and have evolved to include many variations. Early tiers called extended bodies either detached (when mounted immediately behind the wing) or semi-detached (when mounted mid-shank or beyond. Some extended bodies only use feathers, some use animal hair while others use synthetic materials. Some are simple to create while others are more complicated. So why should we consider using extended bodies in our fly designs. Even though there are plenty of effective fly patterns that have their bodies built around the hook shank, there are a few ideas that we should consider. A fly that has an extended body looks more realistic and life like. Some extended bodies provide good segmentation which is more characteristic of the natural as well as improving their silhouette.
Leonardo da Vinci once said “Simplicity is the ultimate in sophistication”.
To-night’s presentation introduces you to a way to make simple and life like extended bodies.
Each fly you offer to a fish must provide the impression of life. This illusion is created by shape, size, colour, silhouette, texture and movement. Most of these can be a primary trigger response while some may become secondary trigger responses. However, the fish sets the terms of the engagement. I consider texture as an important secondary trigger response. Texture is often an overlooked element in the design of an effective fly. Examples of texture include meaty, soft, chewy and crunchy on the outside. Flies that have furled bodies emphasize a meaty and chewy texture. The longer a fish holds onto the fly because of a positive reaction due to texture, you will have a greater chance to set the hook. After texture, I tend to focus on shape, size and colour. Shape addresses bulk and taper. Common shapes are cone like, tubular, round and flat.
The extended bodies that we will create this evening use a process called furling. Furling means, "to gather into a compact roll and bind securely"; from a fly tying perspective, furling involves twisting a material and allowing it to fold and wrap around itself. The end result is a durable tapered body that is simple to create. A furled body can be incorporated into any fly pattern that uses an extended body. The most common application of furling is the creation of extended bodies, but antennas and legs can also benefit from this technique.
Texture and strength are the major characteristics to consider when choosing a material to furl. Also, you may want to consider if the material is to shed water or hold water. Materials that can be furled are synthetic and non-synthetic yarns, silk floss, super stretch floss, dubbing brushes, chenilles, rubber and monofilament. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different materials which often will result in unique body designs. When using soft materials such as Anton, dipping the completed furled body in Softex prior to tie in provides additional durability and reduces the chance of the extended body from fouling around the hook bend.
Furled bodies also offer the added benefit of built in segmentation, ideal when tying damsel and dragonfly nymphs and extended body dry fly patterns. Segmentation is a byproduct of direct pressure and the number of twists applied while furling. The more pressure and twists you use the greater the segmentation. When tying in a furled body, use firm thread pressure and a number of wraps to bind the body to the hook shank. To ensure that the body remains on top of the hook shank, firmly hold and twist the body during the tie in process.
Furling can also be used to create durable cores for large articulated patterns.
There are three techniques that can be used to furl a body. These are the finger roll, using the vise as an anchor or furling directly on the hook. Each technique has its place and provides options in developing a furled extended body.
Para Glen
The Para Glen embodies a simple but effective parachute pattern which requires a minimum number of materials. The ease of the tying procedure allows the fly to be tied very quickly. It is very effective when fished as an indicator with a smaller submerged nymph on a dropper. With the bulk of the hook shank bare, it fishes like a parachute even though the hackle is wrapped around the hook and not around the post; in essence, a parachute that’s not. The fly tier can modify the pattern to match almost any size and colour of mayfly.
Recipe
Hook: Tiemco 100 (dry fly hook) sizes #12-#20
Thread: 6/0 to 8/0, colour to match the body and wings
Body/Wing: Polypropylene yarn, colour to match the insect
Hackle: Grizzly
Tying Instructions:
Apply a thread base directly behind the hook eye which only covers the front ¼ of the hook shank. The back ¾ is to remain bare so it will sink quickly.
Tie in the poly yarn behind the eye to form the post and continue to bind down the poly yarn to form a small thorax.
Twist the poly yarn that extends to the rear very tight until it starts to bundle upon itself.
Take your bodkin at the fly’s body length point and fold over the poly yarn. Have your fingers hold both strands of poly yarn where your thread left off.
Remove the bodkin to allow the poly yarn strands to twist together. The furled body is now formed. Secure the furled body to the hook shank with a few wraps of thread.
Tie in the hackle feather directly behind the extended body and then advance the tread in front of the furled body.
Wrap the hackle 2 turns behind the body and then several more in front of the body. Tie off directly behind the wing and whip finish.
Green Drake
This mayfly has a very robust profile which attracts a lot of attention from trout. Alberta is fortunate to have prolific Green Drake hatches in many of our streams, rivers and to a lesser degree, some small lakes. Nymphs prefer riffly water, but they will emerge in moderate flows. Emergence usually takes place in the late afternoon and early evening sometime in late May and through June. Hatches are short lived only lasting one or two weeks on any specific water.
When fishing this fly, don’t skate it: just twitch it to cause a disturbance on the water’s surface. This pattern rides low in the film simulating a struggling natural dun. Use fly floatant to avoid the fly going subsurface.
Recipe
Hook: Tiemco 200R-BL (straight eye, 3x long curved shank) sizes #8-#12
Thread: 6/0 to 8/0 black
Eyes: Black Plastic, extra small to small
Extended Body: Dark olive and gold antron
Post: Dark olive and gold antron
Legs: Speckled olive rubber legs, medium
Thorax/Head: Olive dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly dyed olive
Tying Instructions:
Select a full portion of dark antron and a smaller portion of gold antron and secure both colour segments in the vise.
Twist them tightly together. Watch the segments as they develop a mottling effect. Fold this antron rope in half using your fingers allowing the furling effect to occur.
Dip 2/3 of the furled abdomen in Softex to increase its durability and to reduce the chances of fouling the furled body around the hook. Set aside to dry.
Secure the hook in the vise and apply a thread base from the hook eye to the 3/4 point and then return the thread slightly behind the hook eye.
Tie in the plastic eyes and secure with a drop of cement.
Measure the abdomen length from the hook eye to the barb. Tie in the abdomen at the ¼ mark from the hook eye ensuring that the abdomen is securely fastened on top of the hook shank. Bind the abdomen down to the ¾ mark and advance thread back to the head of the abdomen.
Take the unfurled antron and build a post so that it is perpendicular to the hook shank.
Strip away the fuzzy material from the base of the hackle feather and bind the bare stem onto the wing post.
Move the thread to where the extended body occurs and form a dubbing loop. Fill the loop with dubbing and form a dubbing noodle. Wrap the dubbing noodle up to the wing post.
Tie in the rubber legs on each side of the fly just in front of the wing post.
Form another dubbing loop and continue building the body pass the eyes up to the hook eye and whip finish.
Re-attach the tread at the base of the wing post creating a small thread base for wrapping the hackle around.
Wrap the hackle working down to the base of the wing post and whip finish to lock down the feather.
Dragonfly
There are over 400 different species of dragonflies in North America. This evening’s pattern is known as a Green Darner. All dragonflies are big and bulky suggesting themselves as a meaty morsel and therefore are an important food source to trout. Dragonflies like their name suggests are furious predators and are at the top of the food chain in the insect world. Sometimes they are motionless waiting for their next victim while other times they move with lightning speed to capture their prey. Darners are found in lakes, ponds and pools of rivers and streams. They are most active in the summer which coincides with their mating flights. The female darners have tan or rusty coloration while the males have darker greens with hints of blue and purple.
Recipe (Female Green Darner)
Hook: Tiemco 200R (straight eye, 3x long curved shank) sizes #4-#6
Thread: 6/0 camel
Eyes: Olive or Black Plastic, large
Extended Body: Caddis green, tan and rust antron
Wings: Pale olive super floss
Thorax: Light olive and dark green dubbings blended
Head: Antron fibers from the extended body
Tying Instructions:
Select 3 equal portions of green, tan and rusty antron and construct a furled abdomen that is about 1-1/2 times the length of the overall hook. Dip 2/3 of the furled abdomen into Softex and let dry.
Secure the hook in the vise and wrap a small thread base behind the hook eye. Tie in the furled abdomen behind the hook eye and add drop of cement for extra security.
Tie in the plastic eyes behind the hook eye and on top of the antron fibers. Bind down the furled abdomen back towards the hook gap but stop where the shank begins to drop off. Apply cement to the bound down abdomen.
At the rear portion, create a dubbing loop and then advance the thread to mid-shank. Create a dubbing brush with the thorax dubbing materials. Wrap the dubbing brush forward to the ¼ mark ensuring that you pull the fibers towards the rear so you have long flowing fibers together with a mottled look so a natural looking thorax of light and dark is achieved.
Use 3- 4” to 6” lengths of the Super Floss to provide the illusion of wings. Fold and double the floss so it lies on both sides of the hook shank. Use a material clip or a piece of tape to hold the floss wings so they are stretched to the rear of the fly.
Make another dubbing loop to produce another dubbing brush using the same thorax material as before filling the gap between the wings and the plastic eyes.
Comb out the antron fibers from the abdomen and pull back over top of the plastic eyes. Secure with a few tight wraps and then whip finish.
Trim off the antron material to a length of ¾ of the thorax.
Trim the floss wings to match the length of the furled abdomen making sure that the floss is relaxed prior to cutting.
