FLYMPH FORUM

Rene Harrop’s soft-hackle Green Drake is a killing pattern on the Henry’s Fork, and wherever else western green drakes are hatching. Frankly, the first time I saw this fly I was skeptical. The color looked right, but it seemed too sparse overall, the body too thin – the natural nymph being fairly robust and widest at the head, a teardrop shaped clinger. Then I saw the fly wet, and the elements of good design became clear. When the hackle flows back over the short thorax it contributes to add body mass (moving body mass) and the whole thing becomes unitized, assuming the natural’s shape. The pattern relies on solid principals of good soft-hackle design: simplicity; motion; light; obfuscation; profile. The design serves to simulate a fairly large insect, yet with very little bulk to buoy and sail the fly. It penetrates the surface film immediately, hovers on the sink, and tracks well.

Hook: #10 TMC 200R for surface; #8 2x long, or #6 standard wetfly for fishing deeper
Thread: yellow UNI 8/0
Hackle: golden (yellow-y) olive grizzly hen
Tail: gadwall flank penned olive
Abdomen: olive turkey biot (or pen a yellow biot with olive, leaving a yellow edge)
Thorax: 50/50 gray rabbit and olive antron

Excellent pattern/tying post, Steve. Explains both the fly's origins and the tying logic behind the design.

Here's another developed specifically for the Henry's Fork because at the time the drakes are hatching the air is also filled with gulls which discourage surface takes.




Dressing:
Thread: Bennechi 12/0 olive
Hook: #10 Dohiku 1XL light wire
Tail: Dun Hackle fibers
Underbody: Olive fur
Body: Olive turkey biot
Thorax: Olive fur
Hackle: Collins Sandy Dun hen

Like Harrop's pattern, this one fishes pretty "shallow" with most takes coming in the upper 6" of the column. I fish it exclusively to visible feeders.

Eric

Great looking trout hunter flies and wonderful narrative Eric!

Thanks guys.

Eric I like the wound-through-thorax approach to this bug. Good profile for the drake. More than one way to skin a cat. I tie one in that style as well. See if I can take a photo & post it. Here's a version of Harrop's tied with golden plover. I painted the hackle with bright yellow highlighter which gives the gray portion a greenish tint.

Here's one in Black Quill mode: thread, yellow UNI 8/0; tail, dark waterfowl; abdomen, olive turkey biot penned orange then red then brown; thorax, mahogany dubbing; wing, black grouse or hen; hackle, red-brown hen.

Beautiful flies, Steve. I've got some dyed sharptail grouse that should approximate the golden plover. Hope I run into a drake hatch this summer.

Regards,
Scott

Wow! These are all such striking flies. Wonderfully inspirational.

Steve and Eric, these biot body drake patterns look fantastic. Thank goodness for the turkey biots, rather than goose biots on these big hook shanks.