some of my favorite flies and how to tie them

The Half Hackle      An easy, four step Mayfly 

 

Hook:       TMC 100 or Dai-Riki 300 Size 14 – 20 or your favorite dry fly hook

Thread:    Match dubbing color

Tail:          Hackle fibers from hackle

Body:       Superfine Dubbing

Hackle:    A single hackle feather

 

                                                  ADAMS               PMD                       BWO           Black Nat or Trico   

Abdomen: Grey Dubbing        Grey             Lt Yellow-Olive           Olive                        Black

 

Tail/Wing/Hackle:                   Grizzly             Blue Dun                   Blue Dun                  White

 

 

This fly is about the easiest Mayfly pattern I know.  It was shown to me by one of my early fly fishing mentors, my Uncle Dick Miller, about 48 years ago.  A dozen of these can be tied in about a half hour.   It has a Comparadun appearance and sits low in the water, not a fast water fly.

 

Step 1:  Attach thread and pull 6 to 8 Hackle fibers from the base of the hackle that will used for the wing, and tie in as a tail, about shank length. 

 

Step 2:  Dub a tapered body up to the ¾ location on the hook shank.

 

Step 3:  Tie in the hackle/wing and wrap 2 to 4 (depending on fly size) times and tie off, wrap thread back to the center of the hackle.

 

Step 4:  With the thread hanging down, using your thumb and fore finger, reach over the top of the fly and grab the bottom hackles.   Separate the lower or bottom hackles in half, to the sides of the shank.   Now pull all hackle up to the top of the hook shank.  Secure the gathered hackle with one or two figure-8 wraps on the bottom of the hook shank.  Add some more dubbing and make a few more figure-8 wraps ending at the eye of the hook. 

 

Step 5:  Whip finish and fish.

 

Fly should have a Comparadun appearance. 

 

Options:  Replace the tail hackle fibers with Darlon or Z-lon to create a Sparkle Dun look.

 

Half Hackle PMD

Half Hackle BWO

Half Hackle Adams