More on Penns Green Drakes
 

Frank started a good thread on roft about extended body spinners, so I
won't go there.....

For duns, I've been tying a few of these, mostly on 10s, with a 12 or two
(are 12s too small?.... should I be looking more toward 8s instead?):

http://tinyurl.com/8byyr

I've also gone a bit crazy and tied up a couple hairwing duns and a couple
comparaduns (mostly for fun, 'cause I've never tied any even close to this
big):

http://tinyurl.com/a8sbn

http://tinyurl.com/ag52f

And, still mostly foolin' around, I've also tied a few cripples, on #10
200Rs:

http://tinyurl.com/ajqeb

These different styles are useful for our western GDs, but am I wasting my
time for the Penns variety?

JR

"JR" wrote in message ...
Frank started a good thread on roft about extended body spinners, so I
won't go there.....

For duns, I've been tying a few of these, mostly on 10s, with a 12 or two
(are 12s too small?.... should I be looking more toward 8s instead?):

http://tinyurl.com/8byyr

I've also gone a bit crazy and tied up a couple hairwing duns and a couple
comparaduns (mostly for fun, 'cause I've never tied any even close to this
big):

http://tinyurl.com/a8sbn

http://tinyurl.com/ag52f

And, still mostly foolin' around, I've also tied a few cripples, on #10
200Rs:

http://tinyurl.com/ajqeb

These different styles are useful for our western GDs, but am I wasting my
time for the Penns variety?

JR

I believe it was Datus Proper who once stated that a fairly stiff extended
body on a fly is a fine conservation measure(ie:the damn thing bounces out
of the trout's mouth easily), my experience tends to agree. I do have a soft
alternative that will be added to Frank's thread on ROFFT.
Tom

Those are beautiful flies JR. Are the tails all moose hair?

bh

As for the colors involved and sizes:
The duns would require about a size 4 dry fly hook(6 longshank). Most locals
use a #10 4xl streamer hook. The duns have an ivory body, with dark markings
on top with an olive tinge to dark gray wings. Tails are dark brown/grey.
The spinners are nearly white, with a tinge of pale yellow(the eggs?).
Their wings are mottled dark on translucent to clear. Size is huge.
Longshank flies work horribly, raise all fish with a good pattern and most
pop right out of the trout's mouth. A soft extended body fly of about 2
inches long on a #12 hook is about right.
If we get a real dark, overcast day, we may encounter the Dark Green
Drake(Litobrancha Recurvata, formerly a Hex family before reclassification).
Makela and I caught this hatch exactly once, and it was memorable. These
things are REALLY big(make the Coffin Flies appear dainty), and kind of
muscular for a mayfly spinner. They hit you with a distinct WHAP! noise.
Normally a late-night hatcher, so don't plan on encountering them, or bother
tying flies for them......

Tom

"Thomas Littleton" wrote


I believe it was Datus Proper who once stated that a fairly stiff extended
body on a fly is a fine conservation measure(ie:the damn thing bounces out
of the trout's mouth easily), my experience tends to agree. I do have a
soft
alternative that will be added to Frank's thread on ROFFT.
Tom



the first year I fished the Green Drake fiasco on the HFork I used a
Paradrake tied purchased locally. It had an elkhair and moose extended
body, dark elk wing and parachute hackle .... fish took it but it was a very
poor hooker "What the Trout Said " or whatever Proper's book is called
is great .... must read for fly designers