Any soft-hacklle patterns to imitate clinger mayflies?

[Ted Andersen]

Hello all . . .

. . . with all this discussion of big heads vs. little heads, and wings in the round, and whatnot . . . combined with my recent on-stream experience of needing a pattern to imitate the Epeorus (I think that's what they were) mayflies that were emerging at the top of a turbulent pool, I realized that I didn't really have a soft-hackle / wingless-wet pattern that would do justice to a Clinger Mayfly rising up in the water. I guess I hold to the belief that one of the triggers for a "clinger hatch" is the big, bulky head on the nymph (how the silhouette is very different from other more streamlined swimmer mayflies). I reached for the only pheasant tail nymph I had in my box that had a very bulky head . . . in despair that I had no soft-hackles that would fit the bill. The PT nymph worked great, fished with sort of a Leisenring Lift after it had traveled thru the chop at the top of the pool . . . but man oh man, did I wish I had a soft-hackle!

And of course now I want to tie some . . . but I can't think of any models/predecessors to run on, of patterns where the taper builds up gradually to a very bulky (and flat!?!?!) head . . . and, to add complexity, where the hackle/legs are a bit back from the front, rather than right at the front.
I know many writers say that these are not mayflies to worry about imitating, because they seldom drift. But here I am proposing the need for one emerging/floating-up toward the surface.



I wonder if I'm opening a big can of worms here?
Thanls--Ted

[letumgo]

Great post, Ted. I'm inspired to see what I can come up with that may fit your description. Let see if others can come up with some patterns that will fit your description.

[Soft-hackle]

Ted,
Which Epeorus are we speaking of vitreus? I'd try something in the correct size and color tied with hare's ear and the proper hackle-either hen or partridge in the correct color. Wind the hackle through the thorax, but not necessarily all the way to the head if you think that's necessary. this way, you might also leave some of the dubbing ahead of the hackle to look like a head. You can also fashion a "head" out of herl as on some of the early north country flies if you feel the head is an important trigger.

Mark

[redietz]

All three flies called "March Brown" (the European original, the Eastern and the Western") are clingers. There are plenty of soft hackles, tied specifically to imitate them, that have been around a century or more. They don't all have big heads.

This is just an observation. I've had the same thoughts that maybe those patterns are missing something ...