The brown/orange dragonflies have been driving the bass here at Badin crazy... I've seen several bass lately jumping clear of the water chasing them, so the dragonflies have been driving ME crazy as well...so...
3 treatments (this is a fly in progress). The one in the middle I tied first in a failed attempt to duplicate a Spanish tyers version (had to brush up on my rudimentary Spanish to watch the video; didn't matter as I didn't have the proper hackle anyway). More on this one later...
The one on the left was a little better, (as far as aesthetic appeal), the one on the right is a deerhair-foam hybrid I came up with to float better.
Yesterday, having a serious itch to scratch, (3 dragonflies burning a hole in my flybox), and despite the high winds, I took these down to the pond after work to field test them...
Not really expecting much, and worried that I'd "ruin" one of the 2 more realistic winged patterns, I tied on the ugly one with brown saddle hackle wings, slicking it up good to keep it afloat as long as possible, and slung it out on the pond...
Folks, the ugly, scraggly, scruffy looking dragonfly spent the next hour and a half being bitten, harassed, chased, chewed, slimed,* dried and reslimed numerous times (as I suspected, it didn't stay a true dry for very long- didn't make a bit of difference).* It performed admirably as a dry, and even better as a wet. The posted wings flared out and back quite well rather than laying flat back against the body. (Emerging dragonfly, maybe?) Short, twitchy strips worked best on top and subsurface.
*After a dozen bass (biggest 2 pounds), and just as many bream, some approaching bruiser status, and numerous SDR's and LDR's and short strikes, and with the winds dying down a little and running out of daylight, I tied on the foam dragonfly. First cast BOOM as soon as it hits the water it gets torpedoed by a NICE porpoising bass (got a good, close look. Guessing 4, maybe 4-1/2 pounds) but I screwed it up and she came off. Still managed a couple more bass and bream, some of those good slabs, before I decided that it was time to head on home and whip up some supper.
One of those days! Already planning the next phase of this bug's metamorphosis. (I'm thinking a peacock herl thorax with some heavily-hackled dry fly hackle palmered over that. The living dragonflies around the pond have much, much fuzzier thoraces).
Tight lines and full spools, everybody!
3 treatments (this is a fly in progress). The one in the middle I tied first in a failed attempt to duplicate a Spanish tyers version (had to brush up on my rudimentary Spanish to watch the video; didn't matter as I didn't have the proper hackle anyway). More on this one later...
The one on the left was a little better, (as far as aesthetic appeal), the one on the right is a deerhair-foam hybrid I came up with to float better.
Yesterday, having a serious itch to scratch, (3 dragonflies burning a hole in my flybox), and despite the high winds, I took these down to the pond after work to field test them...
Not really expecting much, and worried that I'd "ruin" one of the 2 more realistic winged patterns, I tied on the ugly one with brown saddle hackle wings, slicking it up good to keep it afloat as long as possible, and slung it out on the pond...
Folks, the ugly, scraggly, scruffy looking dragonfly spent the next hour and a half being bitten, harassed, chased, chewed, slimed,* dried and reslimed numerous times (as I suspected, it didn't stay a true dry for very long- didn't make a bit of difference).* It performed admirably as a dry, and even better as a wet. The posted wings flared out and back quite well rather than laying flat back against the body. (Emerging dragonfly, maybe?) Short, twitchy strips worked best on top and subsurface.
*After a dozen bass (biggest 2 pounds), and just as many bream, some approaching bruiser status, and numerous SDR's and LDR's and short strikes, and with the winds dying down a little and running out of daylight, I tied on the foam dragonfly. First cast BOOM as soon as it hits the water it gets torpedoed by a NICE porpoising bass (got a good, close look. Guessing 4, maybe 4-1/2 pounds) but I screwed it up and she came off. Still managed a couple more bass and bream, some of those good slabs, before I decided that it was time to head on home and whip up some supper.
One of those days! Already planning the next phase of this bug's metamorphosis. (I'm thinking a peacock herl thorax with some heavily-hackled dry fly hackle palmered over that. The living dragonflies around the pond have much, much fuzzier thoraces).
Tight lines and full spools, everybody!