Tail-less Dries . . .

[andy macbog]

Hi Folks,

I have never liked dry flies with no tails because of the way that they often rotate through 90 degrees to fish like an emerger pattern with the hackle gripping the surface film and the body hanging beneath in a 'J' with the hook bend. I usually get around this by tying such species (The Hawthorn Fly, for example) as a detached body on a short-shanked or curved hook. Last night I started on a few Black and Peacocks (herl body and a black cock hackle) for next season's shield bug time as a quick and easy pattern to leave in the trees but they all swung round to become 'emergers' on me!

I am using very light wire hooks and have clipped the underneath of the hackle to stop it starting the rotation (as it pushes the hook bend into the water film). Am I missing something though!? Not much of an issue and easily solved by other means (foam!) but just curious to know if I am being an idjit and missing something obvious.

Thanks for any thoughts and potentially deservedly patronising comments!

Andy

[Wee Jimmy]

Hi Andy,
I wouldny worry too much about the back end of the fly dipping back a bit.I think 8 times out of 10 given the choice,the trout prefer it that way.

[Scratch]

I think Jim is right, Andy. The trout probably see, and take many many times more emergers and drowned insects than totally 'dry' adults. The 'J', and the half-in-half-out scenario that you speak of is a huge trigger for the trout, with size and colour more often than not being an irrelevance. Look at the number of premier league killers that exploit this - Klinkhammer, DHE, Bob's Bits to name but a few.

If you like the toatally dry deal though... The Griffiths Gnat is as good a 'genuine' dry fly as you'll ever come across... not one fibre of its being projects below the film... and it has no tail! Again, size and colour are pretty much irrelevant, the trigger here is the myriad dimpling effect from the points of the cock hackle fibres, which so closely and effectively mimics the 'footprint' on the surface film from an insects legs - another huge trigger.

[andy macbog]

Great,

Thanks for the replies! Another case of me being a fussy bu££er!?

Was quite curious as the illustrations in my books always how the fly horizontal and not inclined or suspended in the way that they are in my test tank (plastic jar!). But I can see especially how the black and peacock would imitate beautifully a snail suspended from the surface film with the hackle creating the distortions of the foot.

Must do a few of the Griffiths Gnat for this season, it certainly seems to have a few exponents on here.

Thanks again and back to the vice . . .

Andy

[thedeadskunk]

Originally Posted by andy macbog

Hi Folks,

I have never liked dry flies with no tails because of the way that they often rotate through 90 degrees to fish like an emerger pattern with the hackle gripping the surface film and the body hanging beneath in a 'J' with the hook bend. I usually get around this by tying such species (The Hawthorn Fly, for example) as a detached body on a short-shanked or curved hook. Last night I started on a few Black and Peacocks (herl body and a black cock hackle) for next season's shield bug time as a quick and easy pattern to leave in the trees but they all swung round to become 'emergers' on me!

I am using very light wire hooks and have clipped the underneath of the hackle to stop it starting the rotation (as it pushes the hook bend into the water film). Am I missing something though!? Not much of an issue and easily solved by other means (foam!) but just curious to know if I am being an idjit and missing something obvious.

Thanks for any thoughts and potentially deservedly patronising comments!

Andy

Andy, take a look at the F-fly. Now dress a few patterns in a similar style BUT tie-in the Cul de canard at the same area you'd tie-in the tail and bring it over the shank towards the eye of the hook and tie-in at the eye.Your looking to achieve a cul de canard "loop" from the tail toward the hook eye.
I tend to use dyed rabbit underfur for the body, sometimes dyed seal fur.
I invented this fly years ago, and it is my top dry. My box was raped of these, so I'm sorry I do not have an image to post.
It is simple to dress: just a lovely anorexic tapered body and the cul.No ribbing, nothing else.I use sheer 14/0 thread.
Never had a name for this fly, just Paul's favourite, so Paul's favourite it is.

P.S. If you are looking for a true dry then go here: http://www.moorewallpaper.com/tackle...s-Humpies.html

[mancfly]

Just a thought, and i haven't tried this as i don't worry about the body being sunk.

You could try the reverse hackle method where the hackle is tied at the heaviest part of the hook, the bend. Treat the fly with floatant, Watershed is good, but Gink will probably work too, so long as it dries on the fly overnight. Usually these reverse hackle flies have tails which aid horizontal floating. But using this method, it may be possible to float a tailless fly horizontally, due to the body being just on the shank and away from the bend. Depends on what the body is made of though! Like i said i haven't tried it as i have never felt the need.

All that said, i wouldn't worry about the submerged body on flies without tails.

[andy macbog]

Hey Mancfly,

That's a great idea, lol! Now why did I not think of that? I shall give it a go

And Paul/Skunk, I like the idea of that dry. It sounds a wee bit like the approach I take to my 'CDC and String' which just has a few lengths of CDC for the tail, a few plumes tied comparadun stylee for the wings/sightpost and 14/0 thread for the body. I untwist the thread to lay it slim and flat and to build up a bit of a taper before retwisiting into a cylinder and taking it back to the head as a rib. Nice and light and cheap and easy. Never thought of doing the back the way that you describe and I will deffo try a few for the rumbustious mountain streams I fish where CDC is often a bit overwhelmed in comparson to a hackled or deerhair-ed damp or dry fly. Have you seen the Soft Cell that was in Fly Fishing and Fly Tying magazine a month or two back? A wee bit similair but it completely envelopes the body in a CDC bubble that holds some lovely wee air bubbles for a bit more flash and sparkle?

Its also quite interesting to think that emerger patterns have evidently been fished for a long time as 'damp', tail-less dry flies without the widespread, explicit realisation that they were sinking below the surface film.

Thanks again for the replies and ideas,

[mancfly]

Its also quite interesting to think that emerger patterns have evidently been fished for a long time as 'damp', tail-less dry flies without the widespread, explicit realisation that they were sinking below the surface film.

Thanks again for the replies and ideas,[/QUOTE]

The originator of the John Storey grayling fly, intended this tail less "dry", with the very forward pointing wing, to float body down, hackle on surface, wing poking up. Many decades before the Klink and Shuttlecock, but probably later than the Mole Fly which used exactly the same principal.