Fresh Water Fly

Olive Tadpole (Plattie)

This fly is fished with a floating line in rip currents in surf, bays or estuaries.

Materials

Tying Instructions

3) Tie in tail of marabou 2-3 times length of hook shank above deer hair. Make one wrap of thread around the marabou only to keep it concentrated on the top of the hook shank again helps reduce tail wrapping

4) Wrap lead wire along centre half of the length of the hook shank and double back wrapping second layer to make a “ball” shape. The lead results in a dipping action on the retrieve.

5) Tie in chenille at tail and advance thread to hook eye. In process of this build up small “cone” of thread in front of the lead wire this helps the chenille transition from the lead to hook shank and prevents lead sliding forward

6) Wrap chenille forward to hook eye to form the body

7) Tie off chenille, trim and whip finish

Alternatively it can be tied in black. In South Africa this fly imitates platana tadpoles that are often olive. Hence the name Plattie

Fishing Instructions

(While fishing a lake one weekend there was a 2-3lb Brown cockfish that kept swimming a specific circuit through an area of the shallows, every time I tried to present a fly it spooked and disappeared for 15-20 minutes. Eventually I put the fly on the bottom and waited, as the fish approached I gave a 6 inch in tug this elicited a charging take and the fish was on!)

Funnel Dun

The Funnel Dun is a fly which Jack Blackman first introduced to us when we were still Natal Fly Dressers Society, Durban Branch – a long time ago.

Materials

Tying Instructions

2: Strip the flue off the hackle and tie the stem in at the back of the thorax, with shiny side out. Trim off the excess stem and wind the hackle backward (towards the hook bend) two to three times around the shank and tie off. Shape the hackles so that they form a funnel shape over the thorax. This is done by holding the hackle tips in the fingers of the one hand and winding the thread loosely up the barbules with the other hand and then back again. This should keep the hackle in the funnel shape. If the thread is wrapped too tightly the barbules will splay in all directions.

3: Wind the thread to a position above the barb and tie in three or four barbules for the tail. By holding the barbules down with your left hand, wind the thread to about a quarter of the way around the bend. Take the thread back to behind the hackle.Step 4: Dub body material onto the thread and form a tapered body by winding back to the tail. Tie off at the tail with a whip finish. The tie off can also be done with a yellow colour thread to imitate an egg laying insect.

Happy hunting!

Hare & Copper

This fly  was tied for us at the July meeting by Paul Gregg.

Materials

Tying Instructions

Bind in the rib to a position between the barb and point of the hook. Lightly apply tack to the thread and touch the dubbing lightly to the thread. DO NOT OVER DUB. Now roll the dubbing tightly onto the thread and wind up to junction of shank and lead. Rib through with copper wire right to behind the eye of the hook.

This will give the fly extra weight at little additional bulk. Again add tack to the thread and apply dubbing. This time do not dub tightly to the thread as you need the bulk of the thorax plus the movement. I lay a foundation of zig zag dubbing before finally running the finished layer in close turns. This gives security to the underlying dubbing and prevents it from coming off the fly adding durability.

I don’t bother to pick out the thorax as the lightly dubbed hares ear is very spikey besides a few fish and it is as buggy as you will want.

Coleford Limey

This fly  is a Peter Briggs Creation which he first tied and fished at Coleford  in 1992. It proved so successful that it attained almost legendary status as a taker of trout with his angling companions. Peter in the true spirit of a fly fisherman shared the recipe and creation of this fly with us at the October 2002 meeting of the Durban Fly Tyers.

Materials

Tying Instructions

Bring the ribbing forward in 3-4 even turns (opposite direction to body) making sure you do not trap the marabou fibers. Tie off and trim.

Tie in the hackle by the tip and wind forward in 4 even turns stroking back between turns. Tie off and trim just behind the eye.

When forming the head pull the hackle fibers back and trap at the base with a few loose turns. The hackle fibers must lie back over the body.

Finish the head neatly. Tie off and varnish.

Elk Hair Caddis Variation

The Elk Hair Caddis Variation is a favourite of mine both for rivers and still waters. It can be fished as an adult caddis imitation or even a small hopper at times. Size can vary from #12 for still waters mainly down to size #18 for small streams. I think the optimal sizes are #14 and #16. It floats well and can be easily seen on the water. Although it floats fairly low in the surface film, like the natural caddis it can be skated easily across the water.

Materials

Tying Instructions

2) Tie in a short sparse bunch of deer hair as the tail. Take 2 loose turns around the shank and deer hair and then two tight turns next to this on the eye side of the hook to prevent flaring of the tail.

3) Add peacock herl o dubbing o choice to create the abdomen/thorax finishing at a point 2/3 the way back along the shank and secure.

4) Add the deer hair wing at the point you finished the abdomen, sloping it over the back with the tips finishing just short of the ends of the tail. Take two loose turns of thread around the shank and deer hair and then two tight turns next to this on the eye side of the hook to prevent flaring of the wing. Try and prevent the wing from lifting two high off the shank. Ideally it should lie across the top of the abdomen.

5) Tie in a hackle as you would for a dry fly, with fibres about width of the gape.

6) Wind the hackle forward in a few turns keeping it sparse, and secure behind the eye, leaving enough space to create a neat small head.

7) Finish the head with tying thread, whip finish and apply varnish.

DDD

Tom Sutcliffe is the originator of this fly which was named after Bill Duckworth who had considerable success fishing this fly in the Dargle area. Hence the name Duckworth’s Dargle Delight.

Materials

Tying Instructions

Repeat this step 3 to 4 times leaving enough room for the hackle and head.

Remove from the vice and trim the deer hair to a cone shape. Make sure to trim very short under the hook shaft to expose the gape of the hook.

Tie in the hackle by the base and wind forward in 4 even turns stroking back between turns. Tie off and trim just behind the eye.

When forming the head pull the hackle fibers back and trap at the base with a few loose turns. The hackle fibers must lie back against the body.

Finish the head neatly. Tie off and varnish.