Jan's Flies - Parachute Flies

Parachute flies are hot on everybody's lips at the moment and they certainly do sit nicely on the water. Next time you are on the water fishing and there is a dun or two around, have a good long look at how they sit. Very nicely, belly down on the water.

The Parachute dun pattern does just this and looks good as well. You will notice in the pattern below I use a Kamasan B100 buzzer hook. It is the rounded shank I like. It gives a very realistic look - much as the adult dun does pulling itself from the nymph casting on emergence.

Parachute Dun

Hook Kamasan B100 size 10-12

Thread Brown

Post Pheasant tail

Body Brown goose boit

Hackle Brown saddle

1. Tie in thread 10-12 times along shank and tie in post.

2. Continue on taking thread two thirds around shank and tie in tail, then goose boit by the tip.

3. Bring thread forward to just behind the post.

4. With pliers bring the goose boit forward finishing with thread behind the post.

5. Now take some brown antron and a thorax, move forward with material. Upon doing this tie in a saddle hackle just in front of the post and make another two turns with antron.

6. Take hackle and make 4-5 turns around post.

7. Tie down hackle and whip finish.

Palmer Body Dun

This fly is a very traditional style fly for Tasmania and works very well, especially in rough conditions. The hook used for this tie is a subsurface one but the wire is not too heavy and it has a lovely gape.

Hook Kamasan 405 size 10-12

Thread Brown

Tail Natural deer hair

Rib Very fine copper wire

Palmer Rhode Island Red saddle hackle

Wing Brown partridge

Hackle Rhode Island Red saddle feather

1. Take thread to bend of hook shank and tie in tail.

2. Tie in fine copper wire and hackle for Palmer body.

3. Bring thread forward two thirds along hook shank.

4. Wind hackle fairly tightly forward then bring rib through in and tie both off firmly.

5. Tie in partridge feather for wing.

6. Place saddle feather in for front hackle and spin close turns, tie off, whip finish and varnish.

The Palmer Brown Body fly is very buoyant and is an extremely good fly in rough conditions and has taken many fish.

Fly fishing so far this season has been reasonable. The wind before Christmas certainly was enough to make any fish lie behind a big rock on the bottom. Hopefully things have settled down now. The dun hatches have been good on Arthurs, Little Pine and Bronte. If one is lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time the fishing can be magnificent. Between the Christmas and New Year break I did yet another back packing trip into some of our more remote lakes and they are still just as beautiful as ever. Fishing wise we had an average trip, but as I have also said a fish in this country is a bonus. To polariod the trout of the back country, have them come to a tiny dry fly and see the whole thing happen is the absolute ultimate in fly fishing.

On one of our daily jaunts we come across a small picturesque bay of a sandy beach, pencil pines, cruising trout, absolutely calendar type scenery and there, to my disappointment in my fellow walkers/anglers, were three beer cans and two blue gas cylinders in the crystal clear water. We have some of the best, naturally wild country in the world and the degrading of it in this manner is not short of disgusting. So come on people let's do the right thing and take some pride in ourselves and the best walking and fishing to be had anywhere.