Allow me to introduce the newest member of my
Hard-Hackle family: the Hard-Hackle DragonFly!
Materials List:
Hook: Mustad 94840, or Equivalent, sizes 2-14.
Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 Brown.
Body: Rooster Cape Feather, Brown.
Tail: Rooster Cape Feather, Brown.
Wings: Super Hair, Smoke Color.
Instructions - Hard-Hackle DragonFly:
1. Lay a smooth thread base along the hook shank
starting from the hook eye, wrapping toward the
hook bend.
2. Select two rooster cape feathers and tie them
in at the hook bend, concave side up. The "tail"
length should be 1½ times the length of the hook
shank. It's OK if your feather tips are a tad
apart; this looks more like a real dragonfly's tail.
3. Tie in a rooster cape feather, dry fly style,
with the concave side toward the hook eye. Make
sure the hackle tips of the feather extend beyond
the hook point.
4. Wrap the rooster cape feather forward and tie
it off just before the hook eye, leaving enough
room to tie in the "wings." You need this massive
hackle body to support the long dragonfly "tail"
and "wings".
5. Position the stiff Super Hair on top of the
hook shank and tie it in with a figure-eight
pattern. Whip finish and apply head cement to
secure the "wings" to the hook.
6. Trim the Super Hair "wingspan" to equal the
length of the entire fly. You're done! The
Hard-Hackle DragonFly is ready to fish!
How to Fish the Hard-Hackle DragonFly:
The Hard-Hackle DragonFly is a very aerodynamic
fly for its size. Even if it lands upside down
on the water, it looks like a spent dragonfly in
even more distress!
The DragonFly is fished like a dry fly, with a
generous application of floatant on the entire fly.
Initially, it will float high on the water. As the
floatant wears away, the Hard-Hackle Dragonfly sits
in the water film. If you don't re-apply floatant,
you can just let the DragonFly slowly sink in the
water column. It is vulnerable to strikes in all
three scenarios. A most versatile fly indeed!
Even with a 3-inch wingspan and 3-inch body length
on a size 2 hook for bass, the Hard-Hackle DragonFly
gracefully floats down to the water without a
disturbance. In the smaller sizes of 10, 12 or 14,
it attracts bream and trout. If dragonflies are
fluttering about near the surface, by all means,
this is your go-to fly.
Dragonflies occur in nature in a variety of colors
and sizes, and vary widely from region to region,
so don't be afraid to experiment. Have Fun! ~ Richard
About Richard:
Richard Komar is a warmwater flyfisher residing
in Plano, Texas and is a member of the Dallas
FlyFishers.
