I’m not much of a dry fly tyer but thought I would try tying up some Parachute Hares Ears. My question is, do you size the hackle the same way you would normally do say when tying a non parachute fly? Like using the hackle guage that I keep on the stem of my vise.
Another question, whats the best way to wind the hackle around the post? Top to bottom or bottom to top.
Does my question make sense?
Dave;
The hackle on parachute fly can be larger. You don’t have to be quite so fussy.
Pararchute hackle should always be wrapped with each turn below the previous one. If you don’t do this the hackle will unwind over the top of the post. Until I learned this I had many of my early parachutes unravel on the first fish or even just hanging up in a bush.
Thanks guys. This makes sense. I’ll have to tie up a few this weekend.
Dave
The “standard” seems to be that you should use hackle two hook sizes larger than you would on a traditionally collared fly - so say a size 14 hackle for a size 16 fly.
This said, I don’t see a need to go higher than what I would use for a Catskill. A regular size gives you pleny of footprint and the back end is supported by the tail.
As for wrapping - always top to bottom.
hackle size = 1 1/2 to 2 gap of hook
wind top to bottom
wind hackle counter clockwise around parachute post
I size up by one, have the dull (concave) side of the feather facing up and wind from the top down. I can get more winds around the post this way and the hackle lays very evenly. I also bind the hackle at the base of the post instead of pulling the stem to the eye and wrapping it there.
Regards,
Scott
I use hackle 2 hook sizes larger as noted above and I also wrap from top to bottom.
Seems you have all the answers except photos showing how this is done. Here are two styles of tying parachutes, one tying off on the post and the other at the head of the fly. Tying off on the post is how I do it. Since Charlie is a left handed tier, you will need to reverse the images for a right handed tier.
The direction you wind the hackle (as viewed from above the fly) depends on where you will tie off the hackle. The hackle should be going in the same direction as the thread and whip finisher is wound. This allows for a tighter hackle wrap on the tie off.
This means that for a right handed tier tying off on the post, I wind the hackle clockwise. This allows you wind the whip finisher in the same direction as if you were tying off behind the eye. To tie off at the head of the fly, I wind counterclockwise so the hackle is going in the same direction as the thread and whip finisher.
This may seem complicated but rather than trying to imagine it, do a fly tied off on the post and one tied off behind the eye and you will see what I mean.
http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=131
Unlike Scott P and Charlie, I tie with the concave side down. I think the body of the fly rides slightly higher this way.
Lots of good information here!
Like Silver, I wrap clockwise around the post and tie off the hackle and whip finish around the post. 
Silver
Thanks for going into such detail and for the links. This is all now beginning to make sense to me.
And also thanks to all of you who took the time to answer my question.
Dave
Steven,
I used to tie it concave-side down, too; did it for years and it worked fine. But I found from watching Charlie, turning the hackle concave-up lets me get a few more turns on the post and although the body of the fly may sit a bit lower, there’s plenty of support from the hackle. It looks like there are at least 2 ways to skin this cat; both ways work and we both seem happy with our results.
Regards,
Scott
With fly tiers there are many ways to accomplish the same thing. One of the free tools at your disposal is YouTube. All tiers are not equal so be careful who you try to emulate, but I never get enough of this tier:http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DavieMcPhail#p/search/0/t-as9IV1-d8 Note the Klinkhammer is one of my go to patterns. Good luck
All tiers are not equal so be careful who you try to emulate
There be some of the best tying advice I’ve read in a long time.
Well said, Clay.
In addition to what Normand says I’d like to emphasize the importance of winding the hackle counter-clockwise as viewed from the top for hight handed tiers. This is very important when you get to tying off the hackle around the hook shank.
I also tie my flies like Silver explained. Clockwise for post tie off, counter clockwiser for shank tie off.
Beaver
Hey Scott,
I can usually get in about 4-5 wraps which seems to be enough. The real advantage I think for concave side up is the tie-off. With the fibers tilting upwards, less chance of trapping some barbs and then have to deal with time.
I also tie-off at the eye, for much of the same reason I tie the hackle concave side down. Tying off at the post lifts the hackle up which means the body sits lower in the water.
Anyway, my $0.02. So many different ways to skin the cat, we must be over thinking this.
Steven,
If we all tied the same way, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun! As long as the fishies approve, that’s what matters.
Happy tying,
Scott
If you use neck hackle the curve of the feather is more pronounced. By wrapping this feather curve down, the hackle points touch the water as opposed to the arch of the feather with the hackle tip pointing up. In the real world i doubt it makes a lick of difference
I think we use too many saddle feather for dries. I find them soft and the barbs too straight. They are gourgoues and easy to use which is the trap.
Henry here. I used to subscribe to FF@ with Harry.
As I recall many years ago Harry and I had a discussion on FF@ on whether the hackle should be tied concave (dull side) down or convex (shiny side) down.
Unlike a standard dry, the hackle of a parachute is ABOVE the body of the fly. Therefore, the profile of the fly on the water differs from the standard palmered hackle dry fly.
Consider if the parachute hackle were straight. The hackle supports the fly so the body being UNDERNEATH the hackle would lie on or in the film. But the hackle is not straight. It is curved as Harry says and the amount of the curve depends on whether you are using neck or saddle hackle.
If you use oversized (longer by 2 hook sizes) neck hackle, tie with convex side down, tying off at the head; you get the tips below the body and the body sits high on the film. If you tie with saddle hackle, tie with the convex side down, and tie off on the post; you get a body that sits IN the film.
I used to tie concave side down and tie off on the head of the fly to get the highest float I could. Now I tie convex side down and tie off on the post to get the lowest profile and place the body of the fly IN the film. Why did I change?
Gary Borger changed my mind. Rather than a true dry fly, he believes the parachute adams is the universal emerger. With a body in the film, he believes that the parachute hackle simulates the the legs of the insect and the post, rather than an upright wing, actually simulates the emerging body of the insect.
For those of you that are familiar with the Klinkhammer by Hans van Klinken, it was designed to be a caddis emerger. It is a essentially a parachute adams type of fly tied on a curve hook without a tail so that the fly penetrates the film as it drops on the water. This type of fly falls into what are termed “suspender” patterns because they are suspended in the film. In fact you an turn a regular adams into a Klinkhammer by some simple modifications I wrote about on pg. 23 in Wisconsin Trout. The Klinkhammer pattern is mislabeled as a spinner but you will get the idea.
Another fly that sits low on/in the film is the sparkle dun of Craig Mathews. The zelon tail is critical in making this fly more effective than the comparadun of Al Caucci. Mathews says the zelon is the nymphal shuck. So Is it a dry or a late stage emerger? I believe it is late stage emerger. And I also believe if you use zelon or wood duck for the tail of a parachute, it makes for a better emerger pattern. Why are these two patterns so successful? As Gary says, it is because you can’t run with your pants down. An emerger is a fly with its pants down.
A version of the parachute is the paraloop or hackle stacker fly. Again I believe it is more a late stage emerger than a true dry because it sits low on/in the film. Tied on a curved hook with CDC like this fly, it definitely is an emerger. But how about the Quigley Hackle Stacker Dun tied with a zelon tail. Is it more a dun or a late stage emerger?
Harry has a tutorial on tying the paraloop/hackle stacker patterns.
http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/stacker/index.shtml
I’ve believed from the early days on FF@ that naturals in the process of emergence are continuum of metamorphosis. We try to imitate this process of change with flies which are a single moment in this process. I believe that is one reason why there are soooo many emerger patterns. I happen to believe that parachutes are closer to emerger than the subimago immature adult, so I now tie them with saddle hackle with convex side down, tied off on the post to get the lowest profile I can.