Page 2 of 2

Re: Deer Fly

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:04 am
by UC Steve
daringduffer wrote: Sat Jan 05, 2019 1:42 pm The fuzzy body might attract some bubbles...

dd
Good catch. The fresh ones'll be in the scum... Maybe a lighter hook might be better...

Re: Deer Fly

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:14 am
by UC Steve
Ray, cool picture of the bug. When giving the dressing I erred, it is Dk Gray UNI yarn. Looks lighter in the photo. When wet the gray darkens & the orange mellows to closely match the natural. Looking at the natural I'm thinking bleached or dyed orange peacock herl might be a closer choice for the head. Alas I have neither, but if anybody feels inspired to do so, I'd love to see one tied that way. I'm thinking olive thread might work as well.

The fly strip hat makes a lovely fashion statement. Once fished a brook in Vermont where that might've helped. Might've. Deer flies were so bad it was impossible. Probably created an artificial hatch with the numbers I swatted & chummed the stream with. And nothing in my box to match it...

Re: Deer Fly

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:07 am
by redietz
That body is absolutely spot on. I would have guessed deer fly even if you hadn't called it that.

I would have thought that a size 10 was a bit large. Maybe there's more than one species of deer fly and yours is larger than the ones I'm familiar with? (I would have gone with a 12 or 14.)

Re: Deer Fly

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 9:11 pm
by UC Steve
redietz wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:07 am That body is absolutely spot on. I would have guessed deer fly even if you hadn't called it that.

I would have thought that a size 10 was a bit large. Maybe there's more than one species of deer fly and yours is larger than the ones I'm familiar with? (I would have gone with a 12 or 14.)
Bob, the ones in my neighborhood are about a #12. Shank length on the hook I used is the equivalent of a standard #12.

Re: Deer Fly

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:28 am
by redietz
Definitely bigger than around here, but then again our deer are smaller, too.

Re: Deer Fly

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:45 pm
by UC Steve
Bob, you'd certainly want it to match the models in your area. The hook I tied it on makes my example look big. Think it'd be better tied on a #12 standard dryfly, for perspective. That said, Bill Schuck says he experienced a 'hatch' in Maine that were "deer flies crossed with lampreys."