Dry Fly Emerger Pattern Help.

[NickConwall]

Hi All,
I had a bunch of what I called emerger patterns that got lost, they were around a size 14 fine wired hook and when in the water were barely visible as a dry fly as most of the curved hook, head, tail and body was below surface and the wings, which looked to be tied around a para indicator clipped off kept it afloat. As you can see above is a typical para wing dry fly with indicator which the wings were spun around. On the bottom is a photoshopped (sorry for the crappy job) version of the above pic and of what my old emerger patterns sorta looked like although with a tail and more of a curved downward hook which had a flat portion right behind the head for the wings to tie in so they lay flat. I have caught more fish on these type of flies than any other and now that I noticed they are missing I gotta get to tying more.
What I was wondering is what sorta hook (brand/model # if possible) would best suit this type of fly and how do I spin the wings around the top like that? Were they tied around a post which was then clipped off and the (not visible when finished) tag end of it glued in place to the wings? -and if that is the way what sort of glue would work best so it would not weight the fly down any more than necessary or gum up the spun wings. Any help on this would be great and thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out before I start making a mess of things.
-N.

[AdamWellington]

The hook sounds like a Partridge "Klinkhammer" hook, it would either be a 15BN or a 15BNX, the BNX has the straight section where the post and hackle go. When Brent was doing his tying demo, he tied a fly on one of these hooks, they are much larger than they are numbered, I think he used a size 18 hook for a fly that ended up looking like a size 14. Here is a link to his fly on that style hook:

oakorchardflies.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fft&action=display&thread=2823


As for the hackle post, try using those small foam parachute posts (the shop should have them, I'm pretty sure I've seen them there), and clipping it short after you finish the fly. If you wrap the hackle tight enough, and cut the post right, you shouldn't need any glue or anything to hold the hackle in place. As an alternative, you could tie it in the "hackle stacker" style, which is wrapping the hackle around one leg of a monofilament loop, and pulling the loop tight splaying out the hackle on top of the fly. There are a lot of tutorials on the interwebs explaining the hackle stacker style, I don't think there are any patterns on this site that use that style.

[k clancy]

I would suggest a Daiichi 1150 for the hook, the minor upturn on the eye seems to work better than the down eye shown above. see Nicks' tutorial on parachute dries for help on that part. I couldn't say in a book what those photo's will tell you.

[Nick Pionessa]

here's a link to a parachute hackled pattern. i mainly use poly yarn for the post it's cheap and easy to work with, but there are many options.

oakorchardflies.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=stepbysteptutorials&action=display&thread=631

the klinkhammer hooks are cool but sometimes hard to find. the 1150 as ralph mentions or the 1130 if you do want the down eye.

[BrentKelley]

I tend to use a lot of dry fly emerger patterns and many have similar characteristics to the one(s) you picture. Nick's suggestion of the Daiichi 1130 is a good one, although there are times when the Klinkhamer hook is truly a thing of beauty.
One suggestion for the pattern would be a shift from the standard parachute pattern version over to CDC as the hackle material. There are numberous ways to incorporate the CDC depending on how you want the fly to float. Many times I use some of my "CDC pullover style" flies with better success than parachute hackled versions. Several variations are shown in the flies on my pages, especially those using oiler puff CDC feathers.
Another idea that I really like is using the Paraloop method- particularly on medium-sized flies. Check out Ian Moutter's designs for these flies but be prepared to spend some time mastering the technique before you have to generate volume. This can be a tricky tie, but I manage it without all the fancy rigging that he suggests. These flies float well and are durable.

[NickConwall]

Thanks for all the ideas & help, gonna practice with the poly yarn method until i get the whole sideways spinning method down, experiment a little and see what works best for me while I save a few pennies for the right hooks & work from there.
thanks again, N-
...and Kellybd you were right about Ian Moutter's "paraloop" method being a little complex, I was looking at his how-to site and got a headache just thinking about how I would even begin to start working on that type of tying method without a 3rd. hand..

[BrentKelley]

Tying the paraloops seems daunting, but it generates some very interesting flies. Bear in mind that not all emerging insects come out of the water in a similar fashion, so designing emergers is not really a "one-size-fits-all" sort of thing. There are times when the paraloops work best; other times when the Klinkhamer version (your type) is optimal; times when CDC types are essential; and, yes, times when it makes little difference at all.
I do suggest you give Moutter's ideas a try as they add another potential solution to any arsenal.

[k clancy]

not to hijack the thread but I've been working with a pullover system simlar to the one Brent is suggesting but it eliminates managing the loop.
If you use a very small amount of the poly yarn for the post, then tie the hackle stem to the post, wrap the thread up & down the post & stem,in tight wraps, the post becomes stiff enough for me to wrap the hackle down (only) to the body without having to hold the loop up. you can then pull the post & hackle over & tie off behind the eye. it is somewhat bulkier than the thread loop but seems a lot easier to me and it also adds some positive bouyancy.
I've also used this method for spinners

[BrentKelley]

I agree entirely with Ralph and his suggestion. In fact the fly pictured in my earlier reply was tied exactly this way. As you can see, the impression is quite good even without all the "gadgetry" of the technique Moutter suggests.

[Adirondackflytyer]

Mustad C49S