Green drake comments requested.

[tomgamber]

Dave, that's actually the pic from the web that gave me the idea how to tie mine but as I said, except for the trimming, they are identical.

I think a lot of the nymphs I'm seeing look much more like the Iso or Hex nymphs with the prominent gills. While the EGD nymphs are a little fuzzy on top they just don't seem to have that wide look the gills on the other flies have. Just an observation.

Jack, if it doesn't work right away, try trimming (on stream) the wing first before boxing them up for the winter.

 

[OldLefty]

Tom, that's a good observation. There's a reason you observe the gills on the GD as being different. Most nymphs have gills that extend out from the sides of the abdomen and, while the GD gills do so as well, the GD's gills sweep up from the sides andover the back of the abdomen (they're long). If you look at the photo of the real nymph I posted you can see it. To me, a pattern with the gills out from the sides only isn't as accurate a representation. Most overbacks on the pattern will not allow the gills to sweep up as the natural's do.

Dave R.

 

[jayL]

Bump.

Anyone getting ready to tie drakes? What kind of patterns do you like?

I'll be starting mine in a week or two.

 

[littlelehigh]

Good idea to bump Jay.

IMO it would be cool to have the links to all these individual bug thread in 1 area just like the swap section. Just a thought.

They we could keep em going yr to yr or as things come up.

 

[RLeep2]

Well, I probably won't be much help because of the range of my green drake experience. I always assiduously avoided the drake hatches on the name limestones because, frankly, if I want to see that many people and open myself to that level of painful frustration, I'll go into downtown Chicago and twist my nose around with a pair of needlenose pliers.

But that's me and how I'm wired. I'd rather catch 5 fish and not see a soul than catch 10 and see a half dozen guys.

But I used to chase the drakes pretty fervently on the freestones, particularly the medium size wild trout fisheries like the tribs of Kettle, the Upper Allegheny drainage and of course, near home in Crawford, Venango and Warren Counties.

For these places, I never found a need for anything more than Art Flick's Gray Fox Variant in a 10 or 12, depending on the size of the drakes in the stream in question (more often a 12 than a 10).

Flick also recommended stripping a big light cahill wet (8-12) on a nymph hook to imitate the moving nymph and that seemed to always work pretty well too.

So, that's all I know...

 

[OldLefty]

Bob, you hit on a winning combination: Green Drakes and freestoners...and, let's not forget the trout!!

Dave R.

 

[BountyHunter]

The "thingambobber" you used on the one pattern lookes like the standard strike indicator size. I saw a few weeks ago they came out with a much smaller version (like 1/8" dia ball) that is designed to be used as a wing post.

Might want to check it out...

 

[jayL]

Thanks.

For some reason, I thought I was using the smallest thingamabobber, but there was a smaller one available. I was going to try that, but might try the ones you mentioned instead.

I think I cannibalized those flies to get the indicators back after the hatch ended. I'm not sure that I'll try it again this year.

 

[ryguyfi]

Do you guys favor the extended bodies over the traditional flies on longer hooks, or visa versa?

I will probably tie extended bodies, but just curious as what everyone prefers.

 

[jayL]

The extended bodies took too much time, and weren't worth it to me.

 

[ryguyfi]

I tie my brown drakes extended and they really don't take me too much longer to tie. Just curious as like with a wooly bugger having too long of a tail, does an extended body have hookup issues, or do the fish just love the big meal and take the whole fly?

 

[DGC]

This looks like an easy one with an extended body. You could probably omit the wing. Could also substitute similar color hackle. I haven't tied it or tried it yet.

Riseform Studio, Coffin Fly, Dave Brandt

 

[MKern]

Here are mine.

ry, I prefer longer hooks: prevents twisting and sits better on teh water IMO.

 

[jayL]

Is that regular old closed cell foam? Beautiful flies.

 

[troutslammer]

extended bodies are easy guys , tie in a piece of white poly yarn as long as u want for the extended body and carefully , notice i said CAREFULLY burn the tip of it and wet your finger and pinch it while it is still hot , easy extended body , remember it is usually pretty low light conditions fishing these flies , after u tie in the poly yarn just mix ginger and grizzly hackle and tie it catskill or use cree but its hard to find though , good luck

 

[ryguyfi]

Here's my attempt at a green drake comparadun. Might need a slightly different elk hair color for the body, but not too bad if I say so myself.

 

[jaybo41]

That's a nice looking tie if you ask me. If you're concerned about color, maybe a marker and head cement or something of the like to protect it?

 

[David]

I wouldn't worry, Ry...that color is pretty close if you look at the bottom of a GD...could be a touch more yellow/green, but it's pretty close.

 

[afishinado]

This looks like a great GD nymph pattern. I may try it for Penns this season.

 

[MKern]

Jay,

Yup, closed cell foam, sheet form. Cut a strip, fold in half, poke a hole in the center of the fold and two notches at the sides, insert tail material, fold back over and wrap 1st segment. The trick, or hard part, is to hide the thread between the segments.

This is all done in hand and when you decide to attch to the hook, poke the point through.

This style makes good damsels and dragons too.