Today at the fly shop I bought some of this yarn in the gold color, for 75 cents. Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet, and was wondering if anyone has ever tied panfish flies with it, and what the pattern was.
- Warm Water Fly Fisher
It has been my experience that the “yarn” is water resistant but doesn’t really float at least not very well (just below the surface when wet). I would take a small bit of it and dunk it a few times in a sink full of water to see how well it floats first before using to give me a good idea to its floating properties. Its usually used for wings on dry flies (between casts it dries off somewhat), bodies on hoppers, tails for surface flies, etc. I have found that the “twine” does float above the water surface and use it for extended bodies on adult damselfly patterns, for some surface fly bodies, and so on. Unless the “yarn” you have is totally different from what I had. Try the “yarn” out in some water first to see what you think.
As for specific patterns, I don’t know as I might use it as a substitute material on many different patterns for those parts of a fly where the properties (floating, water resistant, sinking, and so on) of the material would be best served.
I mainly use poly yarn for para-posts on dry flies. With so many other materials out there for bodies, the yarn would have to be a last resort for a body. However, I do use poly yarn for making dubbing. Just cut it into 1/2" lengths add it to some fur, blend it in a coffee grinder and poof, a little shine in your dubbing. I have also blended just poly yarns to create a synthetic dubbing, just leave out the fur. Just a couple of thoughts for you. Later,Dave
Polypropylene (Poly) Yarn is somewhat water resistance, and makes for a good substitute for Marabou, in a fly pattern. The fly will not pickup that much water, and will be easier to recast.
[url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw/062199fotw.html:140ae]Gotcha Girl, tied by Ronn Lucas Sr.[/url:140ae] uses Polypropylene Yarn.
[url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/atlantic/wet/popsicle.html:140ae]Popicle, tied by Ronn Lucas Sr.[/url:140ae] is a pattern similar in design, but uses Marabou instead of Polypropylene Yarn
There is not much difference between using either material, but the Polypropylene Yarn will not get saturated with water when fished.
If nothing else you can use it for strike indicators!
With the yarn bring gold color, you might be able to use it for a poly-caddis. Use the gold poly yarn instead of elk hair.
I’d maybe check on the “floatability” of the yarn first, to make sure that it will work physically.
I use it for the body(replacing gold tinsel) on the Muddler Minnow,with the addition of Orange Krystal Flash in the underwing.It works well on trout …Frank
Funny that people state that it does not float well. I have used it for wings and for furled bodies on many of my dry flies for the past few years and they seem to float just fine. Never used Gold color before and not sure just what shade of Gold it is but just off the top of my head I might furl an extended body add some snow rabbits foot for a upright wing and fish it as an intresting May fly imitation such as done by the late great Al Campbell simple flies series. It might also added in small amouts, add sometheng when mixed with white poly for spent wings on spinners.
You might try a rackelhanen.
It is made of all poly yarn.
google the name and I am sure you will find the site with the same name.
In a book,“Hooked on Flies” by Black the author suggests using gold color calf hair for the wings on what he called a Golden Adams dry fly to improve visibility. I tried it with poly yarn. It works. 
Sounds like a good color for posts to me. Also, the body on cracklebacks. Invent something even.
Do what Al Campbell used to do. Soak it in some Rain-X. He said that the fly will float a lot longer than just regular materials alone.
I use poly yarn for the bodies on half down stonefly patterns, it works perfect for something that needs to stick right in the surface film.
Rick
You could also use a short piece (sparse) as a trailing schuck on an X-Caddis. Like others, I use twisted poly yarn for bodies on dry flies with good sccess. Experiment!
Joe