FLYMPH FORUM

hankaye wrote:Eric, Howdy;

Just keep on idling, , very interesting thoughts drifting there.
I still remember you mentioning that you manage to incorporate
a touch of Olive in your flies as well ...

hank

I forget where I read that, Hank -- that all bugs have a touch of olive in them -- but I believe it, and it is the primary reason I use olive thread for just about everything except ants and beetles . . . and of course streamers, but I can't remember the last time I tied or fished a streamer.

Eric

Wayne - I downloaded your trout photo. I hope you don't mind. I loved the composition and wanted to digitally convert it to a water color painting. Beautiful shot.

Eric Peper wrote:

hankaye wrote:Eric, Howdy;

Just keep on idling, , very interesting thoughts drifting there.
I still remember you mentioning that you manage to incorporate
a touch of Olive in your flies as well ...

hank

I forget where I read that, Hank -- that all bugs have a touch of olive in them -- but I believe it, and it is the primary reason I use olive thread for just about everything except ants and beetles . . . and of course streamers, but I can't remember the last time I tied or fished a streamer.

Eric

Matt Grobert, a well-known East Coast tier/fisherman/blogger is also a big believer in olive thread. His blog post from 12/14/14 discusses this choice: http://www.caddischronicles.com/

holy crap, you step away and the whole thing goes to pot. These are my favorite threads by far. Certainly the most engaging and interactive.

Eric, never a worry on a hijack situation, the only tinge of concern is that I'll never find that drake soft-hackle in two years when I'm looking for a standard to follow. These are really fantastic. I appreciate the branches this conversation has taken. Your insight on the triggers you've worked out for yourself match my own, contrast, mobility, texture. This is good stuff.

Wayne a few gems that I have no doubt hold a high place in your boxes. Fantastic flies and a great conclusion.

A thread like this could pile on for weeks. Please bring it on. I'd like to hear more about fishing the drakes with these flies. And the comments on the CDC and Elk are ubiquitous. I've heard the same astounding results all over the world from the day I first heard of this pattern. I've always thought the dimples and light bending that occurs in the surface as a result of the loose cdc fibers played a significant roll, along with the reasons you've mentioned. It's something I try to be aware of and one of the hardest things to achieve in dry fly design. The Elk Hair Caddis is another that mimics the point of surface contact light bending.

I have other questions as well, all better suited to the tying section and the fishing section. I'll post those there. One in the fishing section, fishing the drake soft=hackles and another in the cabin, regarding your favorite spinner designs. I really don't care to see patterns without understanding why they work and the spinners are something much written about with miles of contradictions and designs.

This thread should flourish, but I'll take these specific side questions to the other sections.

love it.

w

William, I developed the drake flymph for a very unusual and somewhat obtuse reason. When the green drakes (and some other species) appear on the Henry's Fork we are invaded by huge squadrons of gulls diving to take the emerging bugs. We all know how trout behave when there is a threat from above. The fish do not want to get any closer to the surface than they have to. It occurred to me that because they weren't gonna give up eating drakes, they might very well find a sub-surface fly more attractive. The fly works.

Eric

Eric Peper wrote:William, I developed the drake flymph for a very unusual and somewhat obtuse reason. When the green drakes (and some other species) appear on the Henry's Fork we are invaded by huge squadrons of gulls diving to take the emerging bugs. We all know how trout behave when there is a threat from above. The fish do not want to get any closer to the surface than they have to. It occurred to me that because they weren't gonna give up eating drakes, they might very well find a sub-surface fly more attractive. The fly works.

Eric

Now that's what I was looking for, thanks. Working out these mysteries is what keeps me hungry for time on the water.