Loop Wing Emergers

[BelAirSteve]

So I am getting ready for spring. I had good success fishing emergers last year, and I am going to try and bang some out over the next couple of weeks. I have seen the loops tied with tips first, and with the thicker stem end first. Does anyone have a suggestion as to which might yield better results, and why? Seems to me you would get more of the benefit of the CDC if tied in with the tips. Thanks.

Steve

Links showing: Tied in at tips and Tied in at stem end

 

[FrequentTyer]

I tie them tips first. I never really considered stem first, but I think it would be too bulky on smaller flies and would not "baloon" out as well when you made the loop. I'm also thinking it might be a bit more difficult to work with the feather stem first, but that might just be a matter of personal preference. On the other hand, you would be using more of the longer barbules if you went stem first, so that might give you more of a dense loop. I'm guessing the fish wont care either way so I would try both and tie what ever is easier for you to do consistently.

 

[tocar]

I really did well with cdc loop wing emergers last year also. While I've tried tying them with both methods, tying the tips first seemed to make a neater fly, especially in small sizes. When tying 16-20's, I pulled the barbules off the stem and tied them in.

peace- tony c.

 

[afishinado]

tocar wrote:
I really did well with cdc loop wing emergers last year also. While I've tried tying them with both methods, tying the tips first seemed to make a neater fly, especially in small sizes. When tying 16-20's, I pulled the barbules off the stem and tied them in.

peace- tony c.

Ditto

 

[osprey]

Can i ask where and under what conditions you fish such a fly and why go to the bother when you would do just as well with either a nymph or an adult version of the same insect. Do the trout really get that specific in their feeding that it matters? i'm not trying to p anyone off just curious. I never had any luck fishing emergers so i quit investigating them no confidence. I do have confidence in the nymphs and adults i tie and that's what i use but i'm always open to something new provided it proves more usefull than a current method.

 

[ryguyfi]

Osprey, this is just imitating a specific life cycle stage of an insect. When some bugs morph from the nymph to the adult, they rise up to the waters surface, and shed their exoskeleton, then emerge as adults. This is a very vulnerable stage for them and sometimes the trout will gorge themselves on this easy meal. I tie some loop wing, and some without looping the cdc. My best emerger is just an elk hair caddis on a scud hook with nymph dubbing and no hackle. The top floats and the bottom sinks.

You have to know what type of water the bugs hatch out of too. Caddis like hatching out of fast water for instance, so emergers can be deadly fished in some riffles.

Ryan

 

[tocar]

Osprey, here's a little story about emergers.

Last spring I was fishing Clark's (a stream we both know well), when a nice Hendrickson hatch came off. Fish were rising everywhere. The water was boiling, as they say. I threw a couple casts over fish with a standard pattern. No takers, lots of refusals. Tied on a parachute...same results. Next I tried a spinner thinking maybe the adults weren't emerging, but returning to lay eggs. Nothing! Threw darn near every fly I had on me. Ok, I thought. I can figure this out. Tied on a midge. Caught one little guy that obviously didn't get invited to the party🙂

Took a break as frustration was setting in. All the time the water was alive with rising fish. After about a half hour, everything stopped. Oh well, that's why they call it fishing, not catching.

On the drive home I thought about what I did wrong, and more importantly, what I didn't do right. Eureka! Bet they were keyed in on the emregers.

Back home I went to the vise and started experimenting. Came up with woodduck fiber tail (shuck), dark brown/red body with tying thread rib, and cdc looped wing.

Next day at the same spot on Clark's (and the same time of day) the fish began to rise. Made two casts before I had a fish on. Maybe just luck, so I released him and made another cast. Bam! Fish on. This continued for nearly an hour. Twenty fish caught and released without moving more than a few feet the whole time. My best day on that stream. Needless to say I now carry the loop wing emergers in various patterns.

peace-tony c.

 

[MKern]

I first year fly fishing I caught 95% of my fish on the same emerger pattern.

It's not really a life cycle stage, but a transition between stages. At this transition the fliea are vulurable and often get stuck.

I don't fish dries much, but I always have some emergers with me.

I think emerger patterns work better for brookies too. They hit the fly so hard and often push it out of their mouths, possible from the tippet. Emergers that hang in teh water seem to hook these fish.

 

[gutcutter]

In my opinion, I believe that it is very important to learn how to tie the cdc in both ways.
For some patterns a trim loop is the desired effect. That is easily accomplished with a "tips in" tie. This can be effective when tying a transitional or emerging nymph.
In other circumstances, a broader and less "neat" loop is desired. This is best accomplished with a "stem in" tie. This technique is the best I know for tying a TWE emerger.
And - the cdc that you use is an important determining factor in how nice your loop is - either tips in or stem in.
If you buy quality cdc, you don't need to strip barbules to tie smaller loop wings. I select smaller, finer feathers for hooks down to 28 and use the whole thing. Much easier for me to work with the feather than the barbules.

 

[BelAirSteve]

Thanks for the feedback guys...good stuff. I started fishing soft hackles a lot last year and caught most of my fish of the season on either a hares ear soft hackle or emergers, both sulphur and bwo. Osprey, to echo what others have said, I have fished am small area where fish would not touch a dry and couldn't get a good drift on a nymph, and took fish on the emergers.