HARRY'S KINGFISHER — Fly Pattern

deschaine · May 31, 2014, 12:00pm

Everyone likes attractor patterns! My vest always has a couple of boxes of them. If a hatch isn’t on or you’re fishing strange waters for the first time, I always select one or two as ‘go to’ patterns to start the trip off. Here’s a parachute pattern I think is well worth the tying effort!

Materials:

Hook: Dry Fly Size: 10-12
Thread: Black, 6/0
Tail: Grizzly Hackle Fibers
Post: White Seagull
Body: Dark Red Floss
Hackle: Grizzly, tied parachute

Lay in a good base of thread. Tie in your hackle fibers for the tail, and then run your thread forward.

Select a section of white seagull feather. If you don’t live in an area where you can find them on the beach you can substitute with white goose. If you like you can prep it with ‘Flexament’.

Now for the post: Rather than a flat strip, we’re going to do something different here. ‘Roll’ the seagull feather between your fingers to form a tube.

Take the feather ‘tube’ that you just rolled and tie it in using a figure eight thread pattern. Now run your thread back to the bend of the hook.

Tie in your floss at the rear of the hook and wrap it forward. Once you’ve completed the body, secure the floss and tie in the head.

Tie in your hackle and wrap parachute style.

Trim off your post. Be generous with head cement.

This pattern was designed by the late Harry Frey back in the early 1930s. Harry was originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan but later moved to Alpena, Michigan. Harry created the fly to be used on the Thunder Bay River, but its popularity spread. Harry continued to trout fish well into his 80s.

*See you on the water…..*Tom Deschaine

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Originally published May 31, 2014 on Fly Anglers Online by Tom Deschaine.