Slate drake pattern

ian_brown

ian_brown

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Joined
Jan 22, 2007
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I want to tie up some Slate Drake, but I'm having trouble finding patterns. The easiest I've found is the Dun Variant (dun tail and oversizedhackle, stripped brown hackle stem body). Or I might just fish a big Adams.

Suggestions appreciated.
 
I bought some good patterns from cabela's last year. Let me see if I can find one of them for you to reverse engineer. Be sure to search for isonychia as well as slate drake. I've found that they go by both names pretty commonly.
 
I tie a simple slate drake pattern that has worked quite well for me for many years. Everything is gray:

Tail - dark dun microfibetts
Wing - dark gray turkey flats, or calf hair
Body - muskrat fur
Hackle - dark dun

I use #12's in the spring and summer, - #14's in fall
 
comparadun

Tail - dark dun microfibetts
Wing - dark deer hair
Body - dark brown dubbing


spinner

Tail - dark dun microfibetts
Wing - white poly
Body - dark brown dubbing

thats all you need
 
Also, look for patterns under "Leadwing Coachman" and "White Glove Howdy"
I'll use a dark body Usual with a CDC Body and Snowshoe tail and wings and a spinner with the same materials but split the tail and then split the wings and figure 8 them to lie flat.
 
My pattern is brown or dun hackle fiber tail, dark gray dubbing, Dun hackle with a white post for parachute style and dun hackle and dun hackle tip wings for catskill and grey/brown deerhair fo the Comparadun.

I've experimented with the hackles and tails and found no real difference as long as its dark.

I fish comparaduns and parachutes for the most success.

If Slate Drakes are on, anything grey body at #14 will work. If you get refusals with your catskill tie, just trim the hackle on the bottom and make it into a comparadun.

Maurice
 
Thanks for the help guys. Here's what I think I'll try:

# 14 Thorax and comparadun.

tail: Dark coq de leon

body: brown/mahogany dubbing

wing: grey turkey flat or deer hair

Hackle: dark dun.
 
I personally like a chocolate brown dubbing with the dark dun wings or the spinners have clear wings which I see most often and most are rather large a #12 or 10...I rarely see them smaller then a 12
 
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