help matching this fly

[maffetaj]

I had a local on the W. Branch of the Delaware give me this fly and swear up and down how simple and great it was. He carries this dry fly in many sizes and a standard wet fly in a few sizes in his box. He told me not to over complicate fly fishing and keep it simple. That is all he carried in his fly box after 20+ years fishing the river. After seeing him use it in action and using it myself I have decided I need to simplify my fly box and stock up on these. Problem is I do not tie flies...... he showed me how to tie it, but I forget and don't have the material or know what I am doing. Can anyone point out materials? Give me some tips on tying it? Or maybe tie me a bunch in an assortment of sizes and I would gladly buy them?

 

[afishinado]

It's a comparadun style fly (with a missing tail, likely) which can be tied to match most any insect.

Comparadun Pics

Comparadun Tying Video

Buy them at any fly shop

It is a good style of fly to tie for the D River. Good luck

 

[MKern]

I wonder if it is designed to mimic an emerging insect.?.?

 

[McSneek]

It is a comparadun but seems to have one slight difference. The butt ends of the wing material (elk or deer hair) are clipped short and left exposed rather than bound to the hook shank and covered with dubbing. The wing is a little closer to the eye than a typical comparadun but, at the end of the day, it's a comparadun. It doesn't look damaged so perhaps it never had any sort of tail to begin with which would be consistent with the "simple" description.

 

[FGSIII]

Wing looks like deer hair and the body reminds me of angora dubbing, but I can't be sure. Perhaps seal dubbing, the real thing or a seal dubbing substitute such as angora or another synthetic material such as SLF Dubbing.

So an elk hair/deer hair caddis is a comparadun? Just playing devil's advocate...

 

[mikesl]

I think OP's fly could also be described as a Deer Hair Emerger or DHE popularized by Bob "keep it simple" Wyatt

article on DHE

google images for Deer Hair Emerger


for what it's worth, I have had good luck with those tied to imitate slate drakes on the Lehigh.

 

[maffetaj]

anyone know if that is elk or deer hair? it is thick and stiff. The guy said it was important to have the same color hair used for the wings. And no, the fly never had any tail.
This guy spent more time on a river fishing then anyone around. I watched him go into a few pools with guys everywhere who had all the fanciest gear and tackle, find a rising fish and catch it every time on 1 fly. He would pull fish out like I had never seen anyone do before. He fished that fly on all Catskill rivers. I lost his phone number unfortunately, but I had never met such a good fly fisherman.

 

[maffetaj]

I know the dubbing he got from his buddies husky dog and used a coffee grinder to make it fluffy

 

[maffetaj]

I watched him put this fly over a specific rising trout a few times and never failed, eventually the trout ate it.....

 

[ebroesicke]

nice pattern but don't get too hung up on a magic fly. Likely, the guy you met was really good at presenting the fly.... Drag free drift, stayed out of sight of the trout, didn't line the fish etc. There are lots of good patterns that will all catch fish.

 

[MKern]

I don't think a specific hair or dubbing color really makes a huge difference in fish-catch ability.

I'd bet deer hair and haretron dubbing would be just as successful and elk hair and neighbors cat hair.

 

[afishinado]

ebroesicke wrote:
nice pattern but don't get too hung up on a magic fly. Likely, the guy you met was really good at presenting the fly.... Drag free drift, stayed out of sight of the trout, didn't line the fish etc. There are lots of good patterns that will all catch fish.

^Agreed about the "magic fly" syndrome. If that were the case, anyone given the magic fly would instantly be transformed into a troutslayer.

That's not the case at all, of course. It takes time and experience to become a decent. FFer. But that's what makes it all fun.

Enjoy the journey, the learning; with some wins as well as many failures. The journey actually never ends...that's what's keeps us coming back for more.

 

[Andreas]

Looks like a hackle-less elk hair caddis. I tie and use a similar fly. Its really simple to tie as it only uses two materials. I like to use a hair's ear with antron for the dubbing. I think the antron helps trap air bubbles and makes the fly look like a natural caddis. I usually use coastal deer hair for the wing. Calling it an emerger isn't far from the truth.

 

[NJTroutbum]

Looks to be a Deer Hair Emerger....with a Spectrablend dubbing? Or Ginger Hareline?It leaves the clipped head unlike the comparadun or the Haystack, which also both have tails.

 

[PocketWater]

I'm looking for some simple patterns that can replicate caddis, stoneflies, and mayflies where you basically just change the size and color of dubbing. You guys think this could pull that off, or have any other suggestions? I just started tying 2 years ago and initially got caught up in trying all kinds of different ties and the last half of this past season I started to simplify my nymph pattern down to just one or two variants of hares ear and did really well. Looking for a dry that is simple like that.

I do like the looks of this...and could see it resembling a caddis or a mayfly emerger.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/101804fotw.php

 

[kobalt335]

PocketWater wrote:
I'm looking for some simple patterns that can replicate caddis, stoneflies, and mayflies where you basically just change the size and color of dubbing. You guys think this could pull that off, or have any other suggestions? I just started tying 2 years ago and initially got caught up in trying all kinds of different ties and the last half of this past season I started to simplify my nymph pattern down to just one or two variants of hares ear and did really well. Looking for a dry that is simple like that.

I do like the looks of this...and could see it resembling a caddis or a mayfly emerger.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/101804fotw.php

I fish deer hair emergers for many different flies. I've had success with them in March browns, hendricksons,isos,sulpurs, bwos, ect. All you do is change the size of yhr hook and the color of the dubbing,antron,and deer hair. I I find it somewhat difficult to find good deer hair to tie the smaller flies with though.

 

[ebroesicke]

PocketWater wrote:
I'm looking for some simple patterns that can replicate caddis, stoneflies, and mayflies where you basically just change the size and color of dubbing. You guys think this could pull that off, or have any other suggestions? I just started tying 2 years ago and initially got caught up in trying all kinds of different ties and the last half of this past season I started to simplify my nymph pattern down to just one or two variants of hares ear and did really well. Looking for a dry that is simple like that.

I do like the looks of this...and could see it resembling a caddis or a mayfly emerger.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/101804fotw.php

That would probably work, but....caddis and mayfly's don't 'emerge' the same way, so using one fly to imitate the emerger stage may be difficult. I have had success with elk hair caddis variations for both caddis and mayfly adults.

 

[MKern]

Some mayflies emerge into adults and ascend to the surface, very similar to caddis.

 

[InCahoots]

The Adams is an effective fly even though it doesn't imitate any specific insect. The fly in the photograph could suggest a Quill Gordon, Light Cahill, Blue Wing Olive, yellow stonefly, belly of a Hendrickson, or even a Gray Fox. I tied one using Haretron #13 olive dun. It's similar, not a perfect match. But I'm sure this fellow on the Delaware would catch fish on it. It's mostly about presentation, a skill that he definitely has. He could carry his fly selection in a pill bottle and still catch fish. I'm envious.

 

[1hook]

To me that thing is nothing more than a hackle less elk hair caddis or an x caddis without the shuck. I say this because the wing is tied laying back and the butt ends exposed much like the above patterns. Really could represent a number of things and very simple to tie. Wing looks like deer hair to me. You could use whatever dubbing you want. You could crank out a dozen of these in no time