Sulphur Patterns - Hackle Orange or Yellow for PA?
- Thread starter Letort
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Esoxbum
Active member
Pale yellow. Im in SW PA….
Esoxbum
Active member
I’ve been looking for a pale mint green/almost white hackle for local green drakes forever….
dudemanspecial
Well-known member
Hackle I usually use cream on sulphurs, because it's what I have. I do tie both yellow and orange bodies though.
TimMurphy
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Dear Letort,
Pale dun gray, it's worked for decades on every Sulphur I've ever fished and caught fish with. It also matches their dun grey wings. Four colors will tie every dry fly you could ever want, Grizzly, Brown, Light Ginger and Pale Dun when used singly or in combination.
The hackle will never be visible to a fish if the fly floats properly.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Pale dun gray, it's worked for decades on every Sulphur I've ever fished and caught fish with. It also matches their dun grey wings. Four colors will tie every dry fly you could ever want, Grizzly, Brown, Light Ginger and Pale Dun when used singly or in combination.
The hackle will never be visible to a fish if the fly floats properly.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
The hackle color probably doesn't matter very much. Post #6's explanation is on target.
However, I like golden ginger hackle (hard to find now) because it looks so nice. (I use dun hen hackle points for the wings, and till the wings get wet and matted, they look pretty nice, too.) I use Pale Evening Dun and tan dubbing for the duns, too. But, that probably isn't crucial either.
Also, unlike most fly-fishermen, I like my Sulphurs a little large: I use size 14 and 16 hooks almost exclusively for them.
Maybe these aren't the best ideas, since I am probably considered an old fuddy-duddy now. But, over many years, I have caught many lovely trout on Sulphurs.
It'll be interesting to see what Dry Fly Guy says when he reads and responds to this.
However, I like golden ginger hackle (hard to find now) because it looks so nice. (I use dun hen hackle points for the wings, and till the wings get wet and matted, they look pretty nice, too.) I use Pale Evening Dun and tan dubbing for the duns, too. But, that probably isn't crucial either.
Also, unlike most fly-fishermen, I like my Sulphurs a little large: I use size 14 and 16 hooks almost exclusively for them.
Maybe these aren't the best ideas, since I am probably considered an old fuddy-duddy now. But, over many years, I have caught many lovely trout on Sulphurs.
It'll be interesting to see what Dry Fly Guy says when he reads and responds to this.
JimNovo
Well-known member
What style fly are your talking about?
Dun or emerger?
Parachutes, comparidun or ???
You going to the sulphur zone on the Delaware where you need size 20s....or Penns where a 14 will get it done?
Dun or emerger?
Parachutes, comparidun or ???
You going to the sulphur zone on the Delaware where you need size 20s....or Penns where a 14 will get it done?
Was thinking dun and I usually prefer parachute.
Range from Penns Creek to SC PA spring creeks and occasionally the Delaware.
TimMurphy
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Dear Letort,
In that case just tie yellow and orange bodied Comparaduns with dun gray deer hair or Hi-Viz wings. I promise you the fish will not care.
Regards,
Tim Murphy 🙂
dryflyguy
Well-known member
First place I ever fished a sulphur hatch, was on Cross Fork creek.
They were smaller - #16 hook - and definitely had an orange cast to them.
I tied them with ginger hackle and orange dubbing for the body
And that pattern worked on all the north central freestone streams that I fished.
When I started fishing the central PA limestoners, the sulphers there were larger and paler in color.
I tied my patterns for those streams with #14 hooks - and sometimes found that #12 would even work.
Still use ginger hackle, but have been making the bodies with pale yellow dubbing.
So yeah, ginger hackle on all my sulphur patterns
But also agree with a few others, and wonder how important hackle color really is
I also carry sulphers in #18 and #20.
Which can come into play during late summer and fall
They were smaller - #16 hook - and definitely had an orange cast to them.
I tied them with ginger hackle and orange dubbing for the body
And that pattern worked on all the north central freestone streams that I fished.
When I started fishing the central PA limestoners, the sulphers there were larger and paler in color.
I tied my patterns for those streams with #14 hooks - and sometimes found that #12 would even work.
Still use ginger hackle, but have been making the bodies with pale yellow dubbing.
So yeah, ginger hackle on all my sulphur patterns
But also agree with a few others, and wonder how important hackle color really is
I also carry sulphers in #18 and #20.
Which can come into play during late summer and fall
nymphingmaniac
Well-known member
+1 to carry 18s and 20s. even in late May those are prevalent at dark of rivers like THE J.
Bamboozle
Well-known member
Letort:
I didn't realize it at the time, but when I first started fly fishing a Pale Evening Dun was what most folks used for a Sulphur pattern. Since the suburban Philadelphia stocked creeks I fished most often were almost devoid of Sulphurs coincidentally, the first hatch matching Sulphurs I ever tied were for the Letort...
In those days, my go-to was a size 16 thorax pattern (imagine that), tied with bleached racoon for the body, a dyed dun turkey flat wing and because of the Pale Evening Dun, I used light dun hackle.
I stuck with that cream & dun combo and caught plenty of fish everywhere until one night while fishing the Letort, I realized the naturals were more yellowish than cream so I decided to tie future examples with a pale yellow Superfine body, a dun poly wing and pale yellow hackle.
Fortuitously, right after this decision, I hit the Whiting 100 Pack lottery and scored a $#!+load of pale yellow hackle packs at Slate Run Tackle and a few other shops JUST before the hair feather craze for around $6.00 - $8.00 each. 🙂
HOWEVER, I also tie Sulphurs in all white which I use when the light level gets low and I have caught more than a few fish using my Blue Quill imitation during a Sulphur hatch which is the same fly, tied with a reddish-brown Superfine body and darker dun hackle; (they are sometimes easier to see under certain light conditions).
In other words, I honestly don't think it matters what color hackle you use or maybe even what color fly you use....
Because I fish Sulphurs often at the same spot on consecutive days over the same fish, I also tie a parachute version, a Comparadun version and an Iwamasa hybrid, all in size 16.
I do tie a few in smaller sizes, but to be honest, I could count on one hand the number of times a refusal of a size 16 wasn't turned into a landed fish by simply adjusting my presentation or switching to a different STYLE Sulphur of the same size.
Good luck!!
I didn't realize it at the time, but when I first started fly fishing a Pale Evening Dun was what most folks used for a Sulphur pattern. Since the suburban Philadelphia stocked creeks I fished most often were almost devoid of Sulphurs coincidentally, the first hatch matching Sulphurs I ever tied were for the Letort...
In those days, my go-to was a size 16 thorax pattern (imagine that), tied with bleached racoon for the body, a dyed dun turkey flat wing and because of the Pale Evening Dun, I used light dun hackle.
I stuck with that cream & dun combo and caught plenty of fish everywhere until one night while fishing the Letort, I realized the naturals were more yellowish than cream so I decided to tie future examples with a pale yellow Superfine body, a dun poly wing and pale yellow hackle.
Fortuitously, right after this decision, I hit the Whiting 100 Pack lottery and scored a $#!+load of pale yellow hackle packs at Slate Run Tackle and a few other shops JUST before the hair feather craze for around $6.00 - $8.00 each. 🙂
HOWEVER, I also tie Sulphurs in all white which I use when the light level gets low and I have caught more than a few fish using my Blue Quill imitation during a Sulphur hatch which is the same fly, tied with a reddish-brown Superfine body and darker dun hackle; (they are sometimes easier to see under certain light conditions).
In other words, I honestly don't think it matters what color hackle you use or maybe even what color fly you use....
Because I fish Sulphurs often at the same spot on consecutive days over the same fish, I also tie a parachute version, a Comparadun version and an Iwamasa hybrid, all in size 16.
I do tie a few in smaller sizes, but to be honest, I could count on one hand the number of times a refusal of a size 16 wasn't turned into a landed fish by simply adjusting my presentation or switching to a different STYLE Sulphur of the same size.
Good luck!!
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goose54cdd
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I didn't read all of the threads, but I have both colors in my area as it it influenced by what stuff, I don't know, minerals, etc. is in the stream.
gfenlikestolosepasswords
Well-known member
Cream. Because I bought it when I was flush with cash and feathers were cheap.
Honestly, I don't think the fish really care that much as long as it's in a lighter shade. Also if the fish care that much, I don't.
Honestly, I don't think the fish really care that much as long as it's in a lighter shade. Also if the fish care that much, I don't.
falcon
Well-known member
I usually use medium barred ginger(parachutes) but have some with cream or light dun. I like light dun for the wing (cdc, trigger point,
snowshoe, Poly etc.)
snowshoe, Poly etc.)
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I would say light dun or ginger for a parachute sulphur. As has been said in earlier posts, comparaduns are also a good choice.
Having said that, I probably have sulphurs tied with six different shades of hackle just to be safe and because I enjoy tying them.
Having said that, I probably have sulphurs tied with six different shades of hackle just to be safe and because I enjoy tying them.
Shawn_H
Well-known member
cream or light dun both seem to work just fine
Tigereye
Well-known member
Depending on where you fish, size and color you flies accordingly.
FWIW, I tie my sulfurs compardun style with pale grey wing ( hi viz synthetic). For the body it is sparsely tied with yellow dubbing over orange thread ( so you can see the thread thru dubbing). Tied in #16 and # 18 this combo serves well on alot of NEPA streams for the yellow and orang varieties. However i find that the same pattern color tied emerger style more effective. Leave a bit of hi viz as a trailing shuck.
I have seen sulfur hatches other places where the color was more buffy white with hints of yellow, but a small Lt Cahill pattern worked often enough that i dont try to imitate it exactly, keeping my patterns to a minimum.
FWIW, I tie my sulfurs compardun style with pale grey wing ( hi viz synthetic). For the body it is sparsely tied with yellow dubbing over orange thread ( so you can see the thread thru dubbing). Tied in #16 and # 18 this combo serves well on alot of NEPA streams for the yellow and orang varieties. However i find that the same pattern color tied emerger style more effective. Leave a bit of hi viz as a trailing shuck.
I have seen sulfur hatches other places where the color was more buffy white with hints of yellow, but a small Lt Cahill pattern worked often enough that i dont try to imitate it exactly, keeping my patterns to a minimum.
