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. 

Blue Winged Olives

Its that time of year when the evenings are stretched out and the rise of fish on the rivers during the late summer days entice most anglers to try their luck at catching the trout while in their feeding frenzy's close to dark. During the month of June we will see the emergence of some good sedge hatches and I will post some good tying's for these in the days to come; but this is also the time of year we see the blue winged olives in full force. Getting the tones of olives and the presentation right you could be in for a very successful evenings rise. Here are two of my favorite BWOs that have proven themselves to be called upon time and time again during this time of year. 

Hook: Size 16 Hends 404 
Thread: Olive twist thread 
Tail: Coq de Leon 
Body: Pale olive CDC tied in at the tips and wound up the body, spinning the feather at the same time.
Wing: Pale blue Hends CDC, plucked from the stem.
Hackle: Olive Picric cock hackle.

Hook: Size 18 Hends 404 
Thread: Olive twist thread 
Tail: Coq de Leon 
Body: Hends Olive body quill 
Wing: Pale blue Hends CDC, Tie in the tips and loop back over to create the wing.

I have found that the bottom of the two fly's sits deeper in the water just in the surface film and fishing for tricky fish or in the flats this fly will fool fish for sure as they see the fly at its most vulnerable stage. The top fly is a brighter olive and one that I use in the faster water on the rivers as fish now are feeding in the currents more, I like to attract their attention with either something bright or large; also the CDC body here will help to keep the fly on the surface as it makes its way down the faster water.

You should try out these simple but effective dries over the coming nights when the rise begings or just before it and they should produce lots of rises and takes for you. I hope you enjoy reading this post and if you have any comments or questions on any of the patterns just drop me a line below, also you can sign in and follow us. Thanks for reading.