Why do my Parchutes land on their sides?

[Sylvaneous]

This isn't a question that can be effectively answered here, but tell me if you all have this issue. It always happens if I side-arm cast. I have been using Snowshoe hare's foot fibers. I used to use CDC but it was hard to see, being gray and you can't used gink/Aquel. I have plenty of examples of good parachutes. I have Randal Kauffman's book on dry flies. He uses poly or z-lon. I thought maybe I made the wing too high so it was too top heavy, but compared to what I see out there, it doesn't look that different. I thought maybe longer hackle. Maybe denser; more wraps. I use a short post of Z-lon and long hackle to make my Jacklyn's Parchute spinner and it lands fine, but it's way, way to the extreme. For the dun, I wondered if a fuzzier, puffier post material would be better. But it wouldn't make a good wing profile.

Anyone else have this problem? They are such elegant dry flies. I like them as a counterpoint to comparaduns and rather fugly but effective hump-backed snowshoe emergers.

JBeary

 

[FrequentTyer]

A picture of the offending fly would help answer your question. But here are a few thoughts.
The parachute should help quite a bit in landing the fly properly. Your mention of the sidearm cast makes me wonder if casting is the culprit here. Maybe a finer tippet and a bit of a slack cast would help, but someone that is a better caster than I should weigh in on that.
The post may be too tall. I use calf or turkey and size the same way I would a wing (~shaft length). It may also be too far forward (close to the eye). How are you sizing the hackle? I usually go one size larger for a parachute fly and 5 or 6 wraps close to the body is the most I'll do.
It is a curious problem, so please let us know how you solve it.
Mike.

 

[MKern]

My first thought was the knot attaching fly to tippet.
If it's crooked, then the fly will be too.

 

[ryguyfi]

take a couple flies that are straight from the vise and toss them into a cup of water. If they float normally then maybe you should adjust your casting/leader setup. If they land on their side still then it's your tying. I'd start there and move on.

I don't tie my posts very tall, just maybe a quarter inch above the top wrap. If there's too much material on top then it will tip over. You want the body and hook to weigh more than the top half. You also could be over hackling the parachute too, which whill cause more weight on top.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[PennKev]

Can you post a pic of them? I'm thinking too small of or not enough hackle.

 

[osprey]

I'm not a big fan of parachute style flies , i like the cattskills , but i'm wondering how you tie in your hackles? Tips first? Butt first? Do you use one or two hackles? Maybe try changing that around a little. If that doesn't help check your leader to fly knots.

 

[MKern]

I just remebered too...when I tie in my hackle(s) I prefer them to be domed (rather than bowl like).

 

[Chaz]

Probably the wings are too long.

 

[RLeeP]

Before I decided that my parachutes were landing on their sides, I'd make sure there hadn't been any changes in the degree of tilt of the earth's axis and I'd also have myself checked out for vertigo caused by inner ear dysfunction. Its already difficult enough for me to tie a decent fly. I'd want to be sure that any additional effort I was putting out was for a good reason....

 

[gutcutter]

RLeeP wrote:
Before I decided that my parachutes were landing on their sides, I'd make sure there hadn't been any changes in the degree of tilt of the earth's axis

Is there an App for that?

 

[RLeeP]

>>Is there an App for that?>>

Hiya T!


I don't do that app stuff. I saw what happened to my friends when the first pocket calculators came out. Within a year, none of them could add a pair of three digit numbers in their heads any more...

I do carry a small carpenter's level in my vest though, in case I need to take some orientation readings in the event that my parachutes start landing on their sides...

 

[osprey]

Try tying them in different ways , tips first , butt first , bowl shaped , cup shaped and shorten the win a lil and chech yer knots......whew!!!!