I like it. Are you doing anything special to get the hackle forming the extended-body to stick together, or is it just moistened? D
Caught me red handed. Cookie jar and all. Here's the same fly an hour later. Deja Vu all over again. So here's the theoretical idea: tail fibers on #16 - #18 Pale Morning Duns are nearly invisible and often missing. Imitating them is silly. The tail is the abdomen. We're trying to make an impressionist silhouette--not a replicant mayfly. Yellow-dyed duck flank, CDC, dun rooster hackle on a #20 DaiRiki 135 scud hook
That works for me. I still like it! I fish PMDs a lot and am always interested in a new pattern, even though I have a handful of old faithfuls. For some reason, in my experience, fish seem much more willing to take a variety of PMD imitations, yet can be very picky with BWOs. I have a whole box of BWO patterns and it seems like I'll go through half of 'em sometimes before I find one that the fish like, whereas the first fly I pick during a PMD hatch seems to work. I still like tying and trying new ones, but could probably get by with a couple. D
A small drop of very thin solvent based head cement would probably hold the duck flank together a little longer at least. After the solvent flashed off the weight gain would likely be insignificant. I think water based head cement has more solids in it and would be heavier after drying. TC
I bet this stuff would help make the fibers more durable. I use it to lock in Craft Fur fibers for my streamers. Hard as Hull Penetrator
RE> "Hard as Nails" I'll give it a try. Not sure it's a problem. The tail on these flies doesn't really have to keep a shape.......just create some mass and to keep the butt end from dropping down. I bought some olive-dyed duck flank. I'm gonna make some Green Drakes
Actually, it's called Hard as Hull. It's sold through Hareline but if you're not really having a problem, there's no point. The stuff is expensive!
This has been my go-to PMD pattern for the last couple of years. Hook is a Mustad up eye dry fly hook in a size 14 Thread is gray Danville's 6/0 Hackle is a Light Honey Dun Hen (Light gray list with gold tips) Thorac is gray ostrich herl. Rib is very small copper wire Tail is three or four barbs of Lemon Wood Duck Abdomen is a PMD colored dry fly dubbing. Allow the thread color to show through when wet. It fishes well as it's tied, in the film or just under it, greased up and fished like a dry, or allowed to get water logged and fished wet as a drowned adult.
RE> Ron Eagle Elk's PMD I like that one. It's also simple and easy to tie. PMDs are right on the size cusp--small enough to get tricky and difficult if you try to do too much. A fly for which the computer programmer's KISS principal aptly applies (keep it simple stupid). There are plenty of beautifully tied shuck trailing biot-butted split wing patterns out there in the commercial fly bins. But in my experience they don't work any better than the simpler ones. Split wings in particular (for mayfly duns) make little sense, because the naturals hold their wings together as one when at rest.
