As the snow starts to fall here in Bozeman (finally), my mindset has shifted to the vise. While I get out on the water a few times in December, I usually spend more time on the vise as I visit family and reflect on my year fly fishing in Yellowstone country.
I have had a fascination the last few weeks with big mayflies. After experiencing some unbelievable drake hatches this year, I can finally sit down and play with a few ideas I’ve had in mind.
After spending too much money on materials and a few late nights brainstorming, I’ve finally hit the vise to make my ideas a reality. This post is part one of a series journaling my thought process and failures fly tying a drake box for next summer.
I’m starting with the Drunella Grandis. The granddaddy of them all and the pinnacle in trout fishing. This western green drake hatches on many of the rivers in the Greater Yellowstone Region and wow does it make for some outstanding fishing. They are fun to tie due to their unique coloration and size. While not necessary (like so much of what we do in fly fishing), one can fit many materials onto the hook and come up with many variations.
My most productive fly in the past few years has been the last chance cripple in a size 10, pictured below.
As a fly tyer, I am always looking for the next pattern that catches my eye or fishes better than the last. After a few hundred dollars spent on material, I finally have everything I “need” to tie a variety of green drake dry flies.
My goal is to tie a few adult imitations that can ultimately be tied in a variety of sizes and colors for other mayfly hatches. I am prioritizing durability as well as bin appeal. After tying a few patterns, I will pick my favorites and whip up a dozen of each for the upcoming season.
I started by trying out some hair bodies. I’ve had some dyed moose hair for a few weeks that I’ve planned to use for a green drake body. I thought it would make a perfect body to match the short, thick bodies of the green drake.
As I sat down and played with some moose bodies, I had my fair share of struggles. Not only did the hair not portray the color I expected, but it was not hollow enough to show the segmentation I was going for. Here are my first few struggles, also not happy with the hackle placement and thread choice.
Back to the drawing board, I picked up some dyed olive deer hair. This is what Danny Lane used in his famous DJL Drake, so I thought I’d give it a try. With this change as well as yellow thread and a slightly different wing style, the fly pictured below was a great start.
Craig Mathews suggests I use cow elk hair for the body for its hollowness and durability. I’m keeping my eye out for dyed olive cow elk hair and am interested in giving it a try. Until then, the deer hair will do.
I’m also pondering what wing style I like best. I love the deer hair wing, though do use a tilt wing variation. It’s going to take some practice, but I like this look as well.
What about a hackle stacker drake? I love the look of Bob Quigley’s innovative hackle technique he made famous, known as hacking stacking. Another challenging technique, though the end product is worth it. Here are a few I tied up that may hold a spot in my final drake box.
I even went through the trouble of tying in two stacks of hackle which I wrapped around the wing. While difficult, this fly makes for an accurate representation of the natural and will float well in slow water (maybe on the ranch?). You can see the resemblance compared to the natural.
I have had many fly pattern suggestions throughout this process from followers of the blog. Thank you. A few of these suggestions include the Paradrake, All Day Dun, and DJL Drake. Along with these patterns, I’ve still got a few ideas to test before I start filling my fly boxes with an array of sizes and colors.
I just got in the mail a yellow grizzly cape, as the olive didn’t quite match the green drakes unique coloration.
Stay tuned as I tie a few more flies and come back with what I’ve learned.
I hope you’re able to sit down and tie up a few of your own this holiday season!
2 thoughts on “Fly Tying a Green Drake (Part One)”
Nick, any of these patterns that you tied up will catch trout. They all
look good. I like the necks you posted, I wonder if they come in a saddle
as well.
Thanks Dan! I look forward to trying them out this June. And yes, they do sell High and Dry saddles as well!
Comments are closed.