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3. Umbrella hook Green Drake pattern

Recipe - Western Green Drake Mayfly Dun

Thread: Olive
Abdomen: 8lb test monofilament wrapped with light olive dubbin
Abdomen overwrap: Pheasant tail fibers, light side up
Ribbing: Danville's gold fine wire
Wing: Slate gray CDC, doubled
Tail: Green dyed Elk fibers
Hackle: Olive, figure-8 tied around the thorax

Note: Western Green Drakes have massive wings and they are splayed for drying as they float on the water. I use the butt ends of the Pheasant tail fibers and pull them back between the wings and then again forward to tie them off.

You can see this pattern at http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/board/showthread.php?t=40170

Nice looking fly. Getting the hackle size right underneath seems important along with laying down even wraps to achieve a flat platform. I tied up some flies on umbrella hooks for this year's baetis hatch, then became fixed on another favorite pattern and didn't use much else. My umbrella baetis have abdomens that were tied on a needle, using fibbets, thread, superfine dubbing and flexament, then slipped off when dry and tied to the back of the shank. The technique is called making bug bodiz or something like that--found it on the web. It produces a hollow light abdomen. Durability may be an issue that the mono would help with, though. Please let me know how you do with this fly in terms of hooking and landing fish. I may tie some up for sulphurs too--and try to remember to give them a try.

Martinlf - I was using thread wraps for the abdomen on by Baetis but I've started plumping it up with olive dubbin and wrapping it with light brown thread.

And I always catch fish with them. I've caught fish on these patterns even without a visible hatch. And the latest change I made - from wrapping hackle around the vertical post to wrapping it figure-8 style on the thorax proved to be the modification that made the float go from a 50% to a 90% ratio. Before, the had the propensity to 'fall over' or just land wrong. Now, they just don't.

I'm primarily a dry-fly fisherman. I consider a day where I wait for the rise to happen, have to sneak up on the rise, present perfectly, and come away with one hard-earned fish a much better day than one spent drowning lead and thread to come away with ten. That's why I like these so much.

Very interesting. I had thought of the parachute on the bottom as being the best possible selling point for these hooks--getting the footprint of the fly on its legs. So you are using a thorax style hackle, with the hackle cut off on the bottom rather than a parachute underneath? I'm not sure I understand the benefit of the umbrella hook then? Steer me right where I seem to go astray.

Biggest benefit of the hook is that it acts as a keel, ensuring the fly sits up straight. That little bit of extra weight seems to anchor the fly in the right place in the surface film - and after tying the thorax hackle it works more often than with the post hackle. Not sure why...

Neat pattern. Can you enter that into my fly tying contest on Hacklehead.com? You can win a $50 Orvis gift certificate, and it only takes a minute since you've already got the digital pictures.

Done - thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks... good deal!

I just happened onto the website and saw you used umbrella hooks. Can you share where you obtain umbrella hooks? I have tried several sites with no luck. I live in Spokane, but used to live in Auburn for 8 years. Thanks,You can e mail me directly at >healingh20water@gmail.com> the "0" is a zero.
Bob

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