A few NZ dry flies

All about flies Fly Tying
1

Hi,
I’ve been tying up a few dry flies recently. And, going through some of my pattern books, I’ve decided to tie up a few New Zealand patterns.

This is an early evening pattern, called “Twilight Beauty”. Ginger tail and hackle, black floss body, grey wings:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/JeffPHamm/TwilightBeuty.jpg

Beetles are very productive terrestrial patterns here. A Coch-y-bonddu is standarnd here. As an alternative, this south Island pattern Love’s Lure, is popular. Body peacock herl, wing peacock sword, hackle black:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/JeffPHamm/LovesLure.jpg

In Kieth Draper’s book on NZ flies, he lists a series of flies called the “Jessie Series”. These were originally tied in the early 1900s. They all seem to use “spotted turkey” for the wings, and most had black hackles. Anyway, this is Jessie #1, with black tail, wing turkey tail (was sort of spotted and all I had), body brown floss, hackle black. I over did the hackle on this, and it should be cut back by at least a third.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/JeffPHamm/Jessie1.jpg

Apparently, down in the South Island there’s a black winged black may fly. So, a pattern was tied to represent it, called, the “Black winged black”. I tied this from memory, and thought the body was suppose to be pheasant tail, however, upon relooking up the pattern it should be peacock eye herl. The rest, tail, wings, and hackle are, well, black.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/JeffPHamm/Blackwingedblack.jpg

Finally, I was out fishing recently and noticed a large number of red damsel flies about. The fish seemed to be rising to them, so I tied this up as an immitation. Had a few strikes, but failed to hook up (the first strike was on my 1st or 2nd cast with it while I was just “getting a look at in on the water”. No sooner had the fly touched down then a fish made a slashing grab at it, which startled me so much I struck immediatly and so of course just pulled it away from the fish!) tail: dyed red pheasant tail, body red thread, thorax dyed red pheasant tail, hackle furnace
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/JeffPHamm/JeffsRedDamsel.jpg

  • Jeff
2

Jeff,
Thats one sweet red damsel pattern ,I’ll have to whip out a few for this summer thanks
for sharing
G

3

Nice flies Jeff. I really like that black winged black. I think it would do a great job on a small creek I fish near my home.

4

Very nice fly’s. I may try to tie up a few of those.

5

Thanks everyone. I generally fish wet flies and streamers, so I’ve not fished any of these patterns except the damsel fly. Which, I just recall, must be a pretty good immitation because at one point another damsel fly came along and tried to mate with mine! Wish I had my camera! ha!

I’m hoping to get a chance to give these a try on a river over the summer holidays (it’s out summer down here right now, so soon is possible).

  • Jeff
6

Jeff,

Very nice flies my friend. Nice looking floss work, very smooth and glossy.

REE

7

Thanks REE. I like to use floss a lot on my wets, and as they say, practice makes adequate! Ha!

  • Jeff