Mono loop wing dry flys

[bear-kodiak]

Hello
I just got some dry flys tied by Bruce Staples. They appear to
have loop wings made of monofilament. I was wandering if anyone
here on the forum ever tried this, and how is it done. Mine have 4 loops
2 big outside with 2 smaller inside......jim

[ScottP]

Here’s a video on how to tie one

https://fishingvision.tv/freshwater/...p-wing-mayfly/

Never seen one of these before; interesting.

Regards,
Scott

[JohnScott]

... thanks for posting the link, Scott. Bruce was one of my mentors on fisheries, fishies, and flies. Besides spending hours watching him demo fly tying, I had the good fortune to discuss all kinds of stuff with him for hours on end one on one at Jimmy's for several years. The video is so much the same guy whose help is the foundation for whatever success I've had at fly fishing and fly tying.

When I first read the original post, I was a bit surprised that Bruce was using mono for wings. He was mostly a natural materials tyer when I knew him. So I went to his book on "Snake River Country Flies and Waters" published in 1991. There is a loop wing mayfly in that book, with mono tails but an extended body dubbed on the shank and with gadwall feathers forming the loop wing. That fly is virtually identical to his current version, except for the change in materials, from dubbing and gadwall to antron and mono.

For those interested in extended body mayflies, I think my Duck's Green Drake ( a pattern adaptable to the entire range of mayflies ) offers an alternative that is easier to tie and is quite durable. While I use a parachute approach, including the 90 degree hackling method, Duck's whatever mayfly can be tied with standard hackling, loop wings, mono or natural, etc. Duck's Green Drake is in the FAOL FOTW archives at 6-18-12.

Back to bear-kodiak. Thanks for posting / inquiring about Bruce's loop wing mayfly. It gave me occasion to scan through Bruce's "Snake River Country" again, with recollections of many of the waters he discussed in that book. And rest assured that you are now in possession of some flies tied by one of the most knowledgeable and talented fly anglers and tyers in the Intermountain West and the Yellowstone Ecosystem.

John