Pale Morning Buns

[pittendrigh]

#22 DaiRiki 135
body: one strand of translucent tan rubberleg
tails: fibettes
wing: CDC
hackle: zelon
thread: 14/0 tan

[spoof85]

nicely done, i like the body
spoof

[JohnScott]

I really like the idea and the creativity, Sandy, but I'm not big on fishing with size 22 hooks. Seems to me you could use a Dai-Riki 125 size 18 which is a straight eye short ( lighter ) hook with a bigger gape for the size / weight.

John

[pittendrigh]

Dry fly hooks at size 22 are too prone to straightening out. The 135 scud hook, however, is stout.

I'm a compulsive fly tyer. I'm not always tying but it's usually not long between thinking about it.
Most of what I attempt revolves around fast, simple, durable and effective. In fact those criteria are almost a rule for me.

And for as long as I've been alive I love breaking the rules.
This fly is difficult to tie. It took me years of effort to get the skills down pat. I can make them reliably now. But it wasn't easy.
I do it because I like to tie them.

The one rule I do not break revolves around "it works." I don't mind taking extra time, just for the fun of it, if and only if the result is still a good fish catching fly. It doesn't have to be better at catching fish. But it cannot be worse. This fly works for me. The photo above reflects recent minor material tweaks. But I've been making these tiny extended body mayflies for decades. I know with confidence now they do not attract any more strikes than most other patterns. But they do attract strikes just as well. And they land upright and float well too. I just like to make them. I have caught a lot of fish on these flies. Others too. Truth be told I don't think pattern matters that much, when it comes to tiny dry flies. Size and color matter, I think. But not pattern so much....aside from performance issues anyway, like the difficulty in getting Comparaduns to float outside the spring creek or tailwater context.

[Donald Nicolson]

I like the idea of using a 'scud' hook for dries, Davie MacPhail uses them for spinners.
We have a fly called the 'Pale Evening Dun' which is very similar. I will look for patterns
and post them.

[pittendrigh]

...........thanks Donald. I love your website. I peruse it often.

[JohnScott]

Sandy -

I don't use size 22 hooks, and I haven't had but a few dry fly hooks of any size straighten out, so that is not something I would consider. You're certainly right about the 135, which I have used a lot and have never had a problem with, being stout.

Your take on fly tying is quite similar to mine. Easy, simple, effective, durable are my watchwords for fly tying. I fish only flies I tie myself, and mostly my own patterns. I don't kid myself thinking mine are better and catch more fish than other flies would, but I use them because they are my designs, I like tying them, and they catch enough fishies to keep it interesting.

John

[Donald Nicolson]

Here is an oldish version from Roger Woollry's book ca 1930.
I dressed it some time ago.

Hook: Size 18 TMC101.
Silk: Primrose.
Tail: Pale blue dun cock fibres.
Rib: Fine gold wire.
Body: Pale yellow camel fur.
Hackle: Pale blue dun cock.
Based on a Roger Woolley Pattern

This is a Spider hackle West country version, these are fished dry or wet.
It might look quite good on a 'scud' hook.

[EdD]

Donald, I tie a Pale Evening Dun as a parachute. Numerous but very localized hatches occur in the evenings on some warm water streams, so I developed the pattern for that hatch. Tied down on size 16 hooks it works well on trout. I use Superfine dubbing for the body and a strand or two of yellow Krystal Flash for a rib.

Ed