Favorite dry style and why?

[Acristickid]

Which is your favorite dry pattern of the dry fly styles for a particular hatch? Any tips you could offer?

Like a parachute style over a comparadun style for blue wing olive hatch because I feel that I can see my fly better. At least on the smaller sized blue wing olive hatches.

Use a catskill style on sulphers and green drakes- I can see these well and have proved to be pretty effective for catching fish during those hatches.

How about your tips or successful patterns styles for a particular hatch?

 

[tomgamber]

I tie parachutes for sulfurs and and a few BWOs...everything else is Catskill. Unless I use CDC for the post, the heavily hackled ones float better and longer.

 

[Alpabuck]

Cdc comparaduns for everything, I just feel they work better!

 

[MKern]

Parachute's for 90% of the dries I fish.

I think they have the best outline: legs to the sides, tapper wing, split tails, and low ride.

 

[fritz]

Parachutes. They sit low. I can track them pretty well by tying in some dun "hi vis" or "poly fluff" for the post. I just like to tie them.

 

[wsender]

I'm a fan of the parachute as well. I have a question about tying them though.

Do you guys finish your parachutes at the head or at the base of the post?

 

[gfen]

I can't tie catskills flies.
I like Wulff hairwings coz they float.
I like Usuals because they're cheap and easy.
I had a banner year on sulphur Usuals.

 

[trowpa]

I go against the grain here. I like simple and easy. Most of my dry flies (yes - i do fish the surface occasionally) are made in three steps max.

1. tails
2. dub
3. hackle

No wings...and in the case of als trico - not even tails.

It works. I catch fish. I tie these in a variety of sizes and colors to match the usual hatches i come accross. Given my haunts and prefserences this means - bwo, tricos, and SULPHURS.

I don't fish dries often enough to get more complicated than that. If i need to, I will hold my nose and buy a pattern or so. I actually have a stockpile of commercially tied adams, grey wulffs, light cahills, and cream varients from my non-tying days that i still use too.

 

[jdaddy]

I can't tie catskills flies.

I know you have only been tying three years and like Regal vises but I have a hard time believing that.

 

[gfen]

You'd think I'd be into them, what with the timelessness and all...but y'know what, an Adams requires _four_ seperate hackle feathers. Four! Two just for wing tips!

I can't be having truck with anything that eats that much resources. Hell, I have a stack of duck flank with just one little piece cut from each one, and I'm compelled to have tied a big stack of rolled wing wets just to use the rest of the feather and that stuff's cheap.

 

[fritz]

Do you guys finish your parachutes at the head or at the base of the post?


I finish mine at the head.

 

[pcray1231]

Hmm, my favorites seem to depend on the hatch:

BWO: cut-wing thorax - I can't tie these so I buy em.

sulphurs and look-alikes: comparadun is my go-to, sometimes I use parachutes.

Green Drake: Catskill

caddis: CDC

midge: I just tie thread body, down wings

Brookie fishing/attractors - wulff's and parachutes

 

[MKern]

I finish mine at the head as well.

I've never (maybe rarely) had the hackle bit and pulled out either.
And if it happens to get pulled out or broken it can easily be replace or repaired.

Matter of fact...many flies can be repaired without having to be discarded; or at least they can be modified into something new.

 

[Alpabuck]

gfen wrote:
I can't tie catskills flies.
.

I've never tied a catskill dry either, I dont fish them so I dont tie them!

 

[PaulG]

Conparaduns, best thing since sliced bread, Also use parachutes!

PaulG

 

[Acristickid]

I used to think the "high vis" stuff would be a turn off for the fish- but the fish have thankfully proved otherwise.

 

[jayL]

CDC comparaduns, CDC and elk, ant plain old comparaduns cover all mayflies.

CDC and elk for caddis.

 

[dryflyguy]

I use mostly thorax style mayflies. Because they work, float well, and are durable. I do tie some parachute and comparadun flies also.
For caddis and stoneflies, I use a fluttering caddis style of fly. Same reason as for mayflies
I use deer hair (crowe) beetles, and ants. I still like the look of these over ones tied with foam - and also that little plop when they land in the water.

 

[David]

I like the hair wings because the seem to float better.

Primarily I use comparaduns. I feel they represent whatever the trout is looking for. If they are taking adults, it has the upright wings and full tail. If they are taking emergers or cripples, it is riding flush in the water.
I would try a parachute next, followed by a hackled dry.

For caddis...elk hair, haystacks, and the like...some with hackle, but typically without. I have cdc, but rarely turn to them.

Midges...like Pat...dubbing with down wings. Sometimes hackle.

Akid...even with my small bwos, I tie a few comparas with light color deer hair to help me follow the drift. While not as technically correct for a "blue wing", it still works...

 

[osprey]

I like Catskill style dry flies , not cause they work any better than the rest , I just like to tie them , also like the fluttering style caddis but i use 2 hackles in mine 'cause they seem to float longer and better. I also tie a foam ant in black and cinnamon , simple but deadly.