Cow dung fly any suggestions?

[jayzee28]

Hi all,
Have started fly tying relatively recently and have only been fly fishing for about 9 months having been a sea and occaisonal coarse angler for 25 years, wish i tried it sooner.

I have been tying the basic patterns and seem to have got the hang of most of them, however I would like to try some dry flies. Some of the reservoirs that I intend to fish over the coming months are bounded by grazing pastures and I have been told that the cow dung fly is a good pattern to use.

I have been looking at images of the actual fly from google in an attempt to come up with a way of tying an imitation that (to my eye at least) looks a bit more like the natural than the traditional pattern I have seen. I was thinking about either using a body of peacock herl or seals fur dubbing and maybe a cdc wing. If any one has any ideas I would really appreciate to hear from you.
Best wishes
Jamie

[Gander]

Originally Posted by jayzee28

If any one has any ideas I would really appreciate to hear from you.

I'd go for something like a Ginger or Light Olive Bits. Easy to tie and more durable than a CDC pattern.

[maharg]

Agree with Gander, just tie it on a short shank hook and a little plumper.

Best fished as a wet on #12 or #14 hooks.

Tying silk - brown

Body - 'dirty yellow wool'; in Welsh it's 'corf melyn budyr'.

Hackle - "Corncrake"; use light ginger instead.

Wing - Woodcock. No need to wing the 'dry' though.


A rib isn't specified, but copper wire works well. It's a great fly on the upper Dee, and Lliw trib.


PiB

[hogork]

Hi Jayzee
here is a fly I have been using this last couple of weeks to represent cowdung flys sitting high on the water. It has been working a treat so might be worth a chuck.



at the moment up here it is the only the odd one you see blowing past every now and again. Under these circumstances I think it is important to really gink up the fly and get it sitting high on the water upon casting out give it a wee while to fish static before retrieving.
If you watch a "shitey" fly blowing past on the water it has that gingery/greeny colour but a yellow is also promanent and in my mind this should be brought into the tying .
Just a line of thought mate and I hope someone can give you an idea on the merits of a more traditional Cow dung pattern as I havent tryed one for a good few years now and want to know if Im missing out.

The tying of the fly in pic is

Hook size 12 or 14
Dub :Frankie McPhillips Ballinderry olive (im sure anything close will do)
Wing ; Hot olive roe
Cheeks ; yellow goose biots
Thread ;yellow 8/0 uni

The only thing I would add is that I fish this as part of a team of flys as there is not enough cowdungs about to concentrate on one line of attack at the mo.

Jim

[Gander]

Originally Posted by hogork

I like that. I'll have to add a some biots to some of the Hedge/Sedgehogs that I use.