Craig Mathews merged a Griffith’s Gnat front end with the back of his Zelon Emerger. Cool fly but still a b.tch to see; I swapped in a Hacklestacker/hi-vis post.
hook - Dai Riki 125 #20
thread - Uni 8/0 olive dun
shuck - Congo Hair dun
abdomen - tying thread
thorax - peacick herl
hackle - grizzly
post - McflyFoam cerise
Part 1
mash barb, start thread; tie in CH and wrap halfway down bend
tie in post material loop; trim butt, wrap to eye and back
tie in hackle at base of loop; insert loop in gallows
wrap hackle up the post (= thorax width), and down; tie off/trim
Awesome pattern. I love the hackle stacker over the peacock, quite different look than Griffiths Gnat but retains the peacock thorax. I tie and fish a similar parachute midge with shuck and hi-vis post, but I like the look of this better.
Exceptional tie, and pattern, Scott. Have to admire the fact that it is a #20. I especially like how it solves the problem of the wing on hackle-stackers. Will definitely have to try some.
Nice fly, I’ll have to try some. I have issues with the peacock breaking off when I twist w/thread though. I’ll work on it but any hints would be super…
First thing I’d try is trimming the tips a bit; that end of the herl is somewhat fragile. I also wrap the peacock around the thread (barber pole style) before I twist it. Could be a problem with the peacock you’re using, as well; I’ve got some older loose herl that’s very fragile, even when I trim the tips back. I never use that stuff any more; I’ve switched over to eyed peacock sticks.
Joe’s idea sounds good, too.
Something I thought about since I posted was maybe I was pulling the herl too tight initially and on the wrap she broke…??.. Dunno but I’ll have to play with both ideas some. Some slack might work we’ll see.
Thanks Scott. I do hold my herl by the butts and tugg to snap off the fragile ends and also use eyes now instead of the bulk junk. A guy can fall for that stuff, it’s so nice.
Thanks Jay, I’m doodling some. Haven’t tied smaller trout flies for awhile and I’m having to back-up a bit…:-)) Of course you can’t begin with #16’s, gotta go right to those 20’s
This one’s kinda like the Mathews’ original. If I could get close enough to the trout without spooking them (problematic), or have an idea where the cast is going to go (even less likely), I could probably spot this on the water.
Well Scott, after some honest trying with my jury-rigged stacker per your helpful example I’m dedicated now to getting more flies to look better as the skill develops. I’m not a really bad tier nor a very good one, just fishable stuff!
Got a couple #20’s done tonight and they’ll…well, they’ll fish And they’ll get better!
Thanks for your prompt with this style. I think I’m going to try it some more against my parachutes and see. Fun stuff! I’m aiming for neatness and symmetry as you showed us! Got a good lesson in humility!
And they’ll get better!