Frank Johnson's Water Walker Fly

All about flies Fly Tying
1

In another thread, I mentioned Johnson’s Water Walker Fly. Mr. Frank Johnson of Streamline Anglers in Missoula, Montana tied this pattern.

The fly is highlighted in Terry Helleckson’s great book “Popular Fly Patterns”. Terry believed the tying style to be the best representation of a sub-imago insect on the water.

The unique feature of the pattern is that it uses two hackle feathers. One hackle feather wrapped around one wing and the other wrapped around the other wing. It gives the “legs” of the fly pretty natural looking locations at a more natural angle from the body of the fly.

Helleckson said, regarding this fly, : “Personally, I feel this is one of the most important contributions to fly-tying to have appeared in my life time. It is not just another re-introduction of an old idea which has been abandoned a century or more before.”

One thing about the fly, you can throw it into the air and it will land upright 100% of the time. A claim that a traditional upright winged fly can rarely make.

Anyway, here is my “not-so-perfect” version from this morning.

[

O](http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/byhaugh/media/IMG_5796_zps52675748.jpg.html)n the water surface

[

F](http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/byhaugh/media/IMG_5799_zpsd6781631.jpg.html)rom the rear

[

F](http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/byhaugh/media/IMG_5797_zps2d4c69d6.jpg.html)loating

[

T](http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/byhaugh/media/IMG_5808_zpsf1a123c1.jpg.html)erry Hellecson’s drawings of the steps in tying Frank Johnson’s Water Walker style dry fly

2

Very nice, Byron. They really do always land upright. After the last thread about them I tried to tie up a couple. Every article about them is right - they aren’t the easiest fly to tie. I did a couple of things that made them a little easier for me:

1.) I used EP Trigger Point fibers for the wing posts. They are easier than deer hair for me to work with.
2.) After doing everything except wrapping the hackles, I whip finished and cut off the tying thread at the eye and tied on a much smaller thread onto the first post, Hans van Klinken-style, like I do for all my parachutes.
3.) After wrapping the first hackle, I secured it, whip finished on the post, and cut the thread.
4.) I then trimmed off all the hackle in between the posts. I couldn’t see that it served any purpose other than to make wrapping the other post more difficult.
5.) I started the thread again on the other post, wrapped the hackle and finished the fly on that post. I didn’t trim that hackle between the posts. No need to.

It was still a pain to tie but this made it a little easier, at least for me.

Joe

3

Great idea Joe.
Personally, I wrap the hackle stems up the wing posts on both wings. Then, I wrap one hackle on one wing and tie it off ON the wing post; trim that feather, and repeat on the other.
Not sure if I explained that well enough?