Biot body BWO cdc loop emerger

OK, guys looking for anyone to critique this fly. Just let me know what you all think. Thanks in advance. :thumb:

Rockstar.

Here is another pic just in a grey pattern.

Hi RC,

The wings seem a bit tall to me. I would be worried that the fly might fall over on its side (probably still catch fish though). In Shane Stallcup's fine book, Mayflies "Top to Bottom", he has examples of an emergent cripple which is tied using a loop wing and a loop wing emerger. On his flies, the loop extends above the fly by a bit less than the hook gap. The idea is that the CDC suspends the fly from the surface film while the tail of the fly dangles below.

Steve

Thanks for advice Steve. I thought when I tied those that the loop was alittle too big. I couldnt find anything at the time small enough to wrap the CDC around small enough before I tied it down. Do you have any idea's on what you can use to wrap the CDC around before I can tie it off thats small enough? Didnt mean to repeat myself twice there. Thanks for the book idea as well.
Thanks RC

When I tie loop wings, I use the CDC puffs, they can be a bit harder to handle but I think that they have the perfect amount of feather and you can't tie them too big because they're not very big to begin with. A little trick that I use when tying in the CDC is to wet it down so that it mats together, it's easier to tie in like that. The CDC will dry and poof out like it was before.

Steve S

An alternative to wrapping the CDC feather around something is the following:
Tie the feather in by the tips
finish the fly body
pull the butt of the feather over into a large loop and secure with 1 or 2 loose wraps of thread
then pull the butt of the feather until you have the loop size you desire
tie down with several tight wraps of thread
finish head

Regards,

Yeah, what Steve S and Halcyon wrote!!

Steve

P.S. There is only one l in Stalcup.

What do you guys suggest I use to wrap the cdc around before I tie it off? I thought about using a straw but its alittle big to form a loop. Any suggestions on what I can use? Also thanks for everyones input.:thumb:

I don't wrap the CDC around anything, do like Halcyon said, make a couple of loose wraps around the butt of the feather and pull it until you have the size of loop you want.

You can always use your bodkin to bend the fibers over toward the eye of the hook. Still, the fewer tools that you need to exchange the more efficient you will be. Halcyon's suggestion of using a loose wrap or two to hold the butt of the feather feather in place while you pull/tug it into the appropriate orientation is easiest way to do it. When you have the loop the way you want it, snug it down with a few tight wraps, add a little dubbing for a thorax, whip finish, and you're done.

Steve

Thanks for everyones suggestions. I will give er a go and post some more pics when I get a chance. Thanks for the input guy's