When tying parachute patterns, do you prefer to use hair for the post or a synthetic material, like poly yarn? Reason?
Thanks in advance!
I like poly yarn because it works better for me.
I cut the yarn and pull in up in a “U” form from under the hook and then wrap the thread around it to form the post.
After tying the fly I put a little dab of zap-a-gap just above the hackle in the poly yarn.
I have not had them come apaprt.
Trees, bushes, rock ect have eaten them, but they did not come part.
Rick
I like to use poly yarn because I can tie in the post very long to help hold it while I wrap hackle and then trim it to length. Less waste and faster to deal with while tying, for me.
For some reason the calf body hair carried in my local shops is very short and very curled and white kip tail was non-existant over the winter. I started using the poly yarn as a substitute and found I liked it better.
Hi Darrin,
I tie most of my dry flies parachute style because parachutes catch fish, land right, have a realistic profile on the water and can use less than perfect hackle in terms of both size and quality. I now use Antron and Poly for the posts almost exclusively unless I’m tying for someone who demands hair wings. I like the sheen of both Antron and Poly as a wing material. It ties in with little bulk; I loop it around the hook shank and secure with a couple of thread wraps before winding the post. Hair always adds more bulk to the thorax area. I leave the wing post a little on the long side so I can hold it while winding the hackle if I need to. When the fly is finished, I can trim the wing to exactly the right length. Trimmed hair looks weird because you lose the fine tips. All and all the score is Antron/Poly–1000 and Hair–0. Just my 2% of a dollar. I’m sure others will disagree. 8T 
When you apply the poly or Antron to the hook do you tie it on the bottom then split it to bring it to the top of the hook to make the parachute? I Have always tied it to the top of the hook. Is there an advantage to tying it to the bottom of the hook?
Bill
The advantage of splitting the post around the bottom of the hook is that there is half the bulk at the tie in.
DarrinG -
I switched to antron some time ago and use it exclusively now. I don’t loop it under the hook, but tie it on top. Simply loop the antron around the tying thread and take a wrap to position the antron on top of the hook, then take a couple more wraps to secure it. Post it the same as any material. Use a long enough piece of antron to make winding the hackle easy, then trim to length, as others have suggested.
One of the nice things about antron is the number of colors available for highly visible posts. Recently, I’ve used florescent red which is easy on the eyes in almost any light, and doesn’t seem to effect the catch rate.
Another advantage to the antron ( or yarn ) is that you can build the fly from the back because you don’t have to tie that hair post in to start with. To me, this is a MAJOR advantage to the synthetics.
John
Poly yarn. Visibility, easy to tie and dry.
Rocketfish
I like how easy it is to tie posts with synthetics like antron, darlon, zlon, etc. However, on the stream I have noticed that my flies tied with calf hair or calf tail seemed to float longer.
So for bigger flies, size 16 and up, I use natural fibers like goat hair, calf body hair or calf tail. For flies 18 thru 24 I use the synthetics.
For flies in the middle range of sizes ( 14-18 ) I also like using turkey flats or turkey T base feathers. Easy to work with and availabel in many great colors, I esp. like some of the mottled colors. These seem to float a little longer than the synthetic yarns, but not as long as the calf hair.
Hi Viz, Antron, or any other synthetic yarn for all the reasons mentioned above AND I use exclusively it for single post wings on my regular dries.
I also secure my yarn as described by John Scott. By securing it on top with a thread loop there is NO bulk in the thorax area so I end up with a slim profile just like the real bug which really helps on the small stuff.
When I pull the yarn up from the bottom I make a few figure 8 wraps around it and the hook before I pull it up.
Rick
I made the switch to poly or antron yarn years ago. Much easier to work with than hair or feathers such as turkey flats or CDC.
I can get a poly wing to match the fly size quickly and easily by splitting the yarn so the thickness of the wing matches the fly size.
Lots of colors to choose from for easy sighting on the water.
For big flies I can form the wing loop under the hook and build a bigger thorax around the tie in, or tie the wing in on top of the hook for a smaller thorax on tiny flies.
Trimming the wing to length is easy and doesn’t give the fly an odd appearance like trimming hair or feathers does.
I use antron , the bright pink stuff. Its easy to see on the water and the trout don’t seem to care . White gets lost in the bubbles sometimes.
I finally bit the bullet and purchased a parachute tool holder which makes the job way simpler. I made several dozen without one which took eons to finish. the tool makes the job so much easier.
Ps I always seem to do things the hard way first. :oops:
I like poly yarn, easy to tie with. Floats great, highly visible on the water. It has made great wings for me. John
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I do the same as Rick, although I tend to use Hi-Viz to do the figure eights after pulling the post upwards. It also seems to make the fly more durable. Since I use parachute dries tyed on barbless hooks fairly often, I have developed the habit of unhooking fish by grabbing the post and wiggling the fly out of their mouths. I think that is likely to be a bad plan if the post isn’t looped under the hook. With it looped under the hook, the fly can last for 30 - 40 + fish, bluegills even!
Note that vegetation, both resident and transient (drifting) may dramatically reduce the amount of time that any given fly and I have to spend together…
Ed