Winter Tying Sessions No.4 The Dry Flies

Now that the New Year bell has rung and we have moved closer to the 2019 season, this post in our winter tying sessions we will look forward to the milder days of spring and summer. After spending the early winter focusing on nymphs, it is a nice break to move away from the tungsten beads and lead work for some CDC and light wire hooks to tie some dry flies. I have a versatile set of drys that I have been using over the last number of years and they manage to cover all my bases when it comes to catching rising fish. Again the same as my nymph tying I prefer the simpler patterns that are effective and catch fish when I need them to. 

I have a couple of simple components that I focus on when I am tying a dry fly and ones that you should keep in mind when you are thinking of filling that dry box for the coming season. 

1. Its got to float- now I know most dry's float;  that is the objective of tying a dry in the first place, but I am talking about tying dries that will stay up longer and don't need 5 minuets of drying, treatment after a fish or when they get submerged. So how do we achieve this? By using quality CDC, be conscious when you are tying of the weight you add to the dressing by the threads ect you use. Finally coat the fly in a water proffer before you fish it can make that dry sit up a hell of a lot longer. 

2. You got to see it- for me I like fishing small dries so when I tie them I am always thinking of can I see it and what can I do to help me see it better without overpowering the fly with colour products or flashlights. This is really important when you are tying klink's ect for dry dropper; for this method of catching fish one of the most common problems anglers have is not being able to see the dry. Being able to see even the smaller dries will help detecting the suttle takes. 

3. Simple patterns and tie lots of them- when I am stocking the dry box I will tie up to and more that 20 of each dry. They are simple fly's and quick to tie, so when I am fishing after a few fish or some time on the water I will change the fly regularly; the same pattern but put up a new one. They are easy to tie and a fresh dry make fishing more enjoyable at times rather than squinting your eyes and not being sure if that rise was for you or not. 

So that being said here is three dries that have to be in my box for 2019 and in quantities as they will get a lot of time on the water. 

Fly No.1 Loop Winged BWO

Hook: Size 18-20 Dohiku 301 
Thread: Piscari-fly fine strong Kevlar tying thread
Tail: Coq de Leon 
Body: Hends Olive body quill 
Wing: Pale blue CDC, Tie in the tips and loop back over to create the wing.
Dubbing: Pinch of Hare's Ear (this gets tied in before you loop over the CDC).

Fly No.2 Olive CDC 

Hook: Size 18-20 Dohiku 301 
Thread: Tommi-fly UV reflective tying thread NO.7
Tail: Coq de Leon 
Wing: Natural CDC pinch of half the CDC feather and tie in the center then double over the fibers. Make sure the fibers are up right. 

Fly No.3 Black CDC Emerger   

Hook: Size 18-20 Dohiku 301 
Thread: Piscari-fly fine strong Kevlar tying thread coloured black
Tail: Coq de Leon  
Wing: Natural CDC 
Dubbing: Black CDC mixed with UV spectra dubbing 

Remember to keep the bodies light and slim, use light wire hook like the Dohiku 301 to help the fly be effective longer. Most light and small dries wont last a couple of seasons and as we all know a dry that you use in an evening rise for trout probably wont last the full session, so tie the quick and easy and have plenty of them in your box. For some good klink's for the dry dropper fishing check out this blog post https://peterdriver.blogspot.com/2018/03/fishing-dry-dropper-dry-that-catches.html. For our next winter tying session I will look at some beaded wets that will be crucial for catching spring trout when they start to move about. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and enjoy tying these flies; if you would like to stock up your boxes for this coming year make sure and contact me through Facebook or email. If you have any questions or queries please feel free to contact me. Also make sure and check out my website www.piscari-fly.com for all your tungsten beads, Dohiku barbless hooks, Tommi-fly products,the amazing Syndicate Fly Rods, Reels, leaders and much more. Thanks for reading.
Also check out my new YouTube channel for all my latest tying and hot tips. 

Spring Time Dry Fly-fishing on Rivers

It wont be long now till the fresh smells of spring fill the breeze along the river banks, and for a lot of angler this time of the year they firstly chose nymphs, spiders or wet flies to lure their catch, and indeed they can be very productive for the awaking hungry trout. However there is always the opportunity for some early season dry fly fishing during the mid day in the spring sunshine, which can be very entertaining and productive. 
Some seasons ago in some magazine I read an article on a fly that was a useful dry for bringing up spring time fish on the blind. 

"The Jingler"  was described as a versatile pattern that enticed hungry trout to break the surface during the early parts of the season. Intrigued by the attractive and simplistic look of the fly I tied several and sure enough it produced some real sport on my local river in March and April. 

Another aspect of this fly is that not only fishing it directly upstream will it catch you fish but it can even be more effective swinging or scattering across the stream, as do the natural olives at this time of year when been blown by the breeze. It would be good to remember also that allowing the fly to swing and come around down stream can also be worth a go for a fish who would prefer a spider pattern type fly just under the surface.

This is a fly that should be in every anglers box heading out on the rivers this spring, and don't be stuck to the one colour, vary the hackle colours and body material for a range to suit all the trouts hungry eyes. It is a simple fly to tie and the original has the hackles protruding over the eye of the hook in almost an upside down umbrella look, but the hackle straight up or slightly backwards will still do the trick, and keep the hackles sparsely don't I would not be inclined to have too many turns of hackle. 

Hook: Size 12-18

Thread: Olive 

Tail: Light Coq De Leon

Body: Olive Stripped Quill (I also used olive thread)

Hackle: First natural red game the natural grey partridge in front 

  

I hope you enjoy tying these patterns and enjoy fishing them even more then I have had. If you would like any of these flies or any other patterns of you choice you can find my contact details on the right side of the blog. Thank you for reading and tight lines.