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I've been seeing some smaller crane fly for about a week now. Do any of you folks tie a crane fly soft hackle or wingless wet to suggest these flies?

Regards, Jerry

Jerry G wrote:I've been seeing some smaller crane fly for about a week now. Do any of you folks tie a crane fly soft hackle or wingless wet to suggest these flies?

I don't know what color crane flies are in you area, but around some of the central Pennsylvania spring creeks, there's a smaller yellow one that can be imitated with a Partridge & Yellow, tied long, dressed with floatant and fished in the film. Of course, they usually appear about the same time as the sulfur hatch, so generic yellow is the way to go at any rate.

I am sure I have seen a pattern somewhere. I have used a pattern like tis with some success:
Hook: Size 14
Thread: Tan
Hackle: One turn of a bronze mallard feather
Collar: Peacock.

I don't have a picture handy, but I use the crane fly a lot on my local freestone creek. It's a standard UK style pattern without wings and tyed with a soft webby saddle hackle. It's my "secret fly" for the time being...

Hook: #10-12 3xl Light wire (TMC 2302)
Thread: Uni: 8/0 Camel or brown
Rib: Pearl flashabou
Body: Dubbing Blend (brown rabbit, light grey Scintilla and a pinch of claret seal)
Legs: Knotted pheasant tail (4-6)
Hackle: Light brown saddle (3-4 wraps)

A dead simple pattern really, but damn effective on rivers with crane fly populations. Fish them near the margins, at or below sandier stretches of shoreline. In my neck of the woods, egg laying females will target this water and dance above it--sometimes getting trapped in the film and washed downstream. I fish the fly greased in the film, but occasionally wet. I find it works best if you do both--i.e. pull it beneath the surface towards the end of a drift. If you use this basic pattern, you might want to counter wrap the flashabou with fine gold wire to strengthen it.

The beauty of the crane fly is that there is no hatch as such... just a steady stream of insects visiting the water through the day.

Aaron

Thanks to all for the timely input and suggestions. Bob the fly that I'm seeing the most of is also a light yellow in color with an occasional brown bodied fly. This is the first season that I can say I've seen trout taking the flies with usually smaller trout chasing the adult fly as it leaves the stream. There's usually enough other bug activity going on that it's anyones guess what they're taking as an emerger. I'll give the soft hackles a try and see what happens.

Regards, Jerry

Jerry - Here are my two favorite crane fly patterns (see links below). Both patterns are created by members of this site.

BruceC's Crane Fly:
http://www.flytyingforum.com/pattern9761.html

Dave Wiltshire's Crane Fly:
http://www.flytyingforum.com/pattern6763.html

Here's a link to Dave Wiltshire's Daddy Long Legs in Step By Step form.
http://ukflydressing.proboards.com/inde ... hread=1984


REE

Thanks, REE, for that link. That thing looks deadly

Yes, thanks Ron for the address and as often happens one thing leads to yet another. Now I wonder about those knotted pheasant tail legs. I know there are a few tools out there that one can purchase that aid in knotting and I've seen the feathers already preknotted and for sale. Just wondering if there might be a tutorial demonstrating a method for tying these up on our own perhaps without the purchase of a tool?

Regards, Jerry

The best tool I've found is a "Nit-Picker". Most sewing shops have them. They look like small versions of a rug makers hook with a small gate that closes the eye shut. Shouldn't be more than a couple dollars or so. Tying shops also sell the tool for 10 bucks and up.

I'll look for a tutorial on them.

REE