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3. Emergers

Hey Gonzo, this question's for you, but I hope others will join in once the discussion gets underway. Renee Harrop has a photo of an emerging baetis (I first saw it in a Flyfisherman article, and think the photo shows up in at least one of his books. The fly shows short split wings just unfolding, and a long, carrot shaped shuck. The baetis and paralep (blue quill) emergers in your book have virtually the same silhouette, and a very recent modification of my version of the old Little Lehigh Flyshop baetis emerger also does. For the shuck I use long CDC strands, snip a few strands short on the bottom for legs, and tie a thread knot around the long strands near the end and add a minute drop of super glue to the knot. Then I snip out a few strands in the tail, just like your shuck (I also use a glued thread knot on your fly--heresy, I know but my fingers are too clumsy to do it the other way).

The question is, do you use your baetis and blue quill pattern for any of the larger mayflies, such as Hendricksons (E. subvaria)or do you prefer the emerger tied on the swimming nymph hook for these larger flies--and if so, why? I'm also interested in your thoughts on my Little Lehigh pattern, which I'll show you at some point to see if improvements can be made. I know you're not a big fan of CDC, but this fly has taken some big browns for me, so it'll be difficult, if not impossible to break my addiction to it. I'm wondering about using poly yarn or another synthetic for the clump wing, though, and/or possibly switching to an antron or zelon shuck. One thing I learned about your emerger this spring is that it is tough as nails. My CDC shucks may not prove to be, especially now with the bound fibers that can't so easily slip though a brown's teeth.

Time and testing will tell on some of these issues, but other folks may find them interesting for now, so I'm posting this up.

Louis,
I do use the "shucking dun" style for larger mayflies as well, and it is successful. The only argument I can make for the "half-and-half" style is that the nymphal half might be more attractive from a distance or for fish focused on emerging nymphs. But both work well.

Don't pay too much attention to my CDC prejudices. Although the CDC shuck's durability might not match that of the synthetic fiber version, I'm always happy to hear about other's experiments and variations on the tying ideas in the book. It's really what I intended. (And your use of a thread knot for gathering the shuck and creating tails isn't heresy, it's practical and personal. Good for you!)

Thanks, Gonzo. Do any others have thoughts on emergers? I fished them almost exclusively this spring and last season. Fish seem to take them readily under many conditions.

My go to guide fly is an emerger pattern made of all grey rabbit fur. it is nothing special, just your typical emerger. Underfur tail, underfur dubbed body, and an underfur wing with 2 strands of crystal flash in it, then a dubbed head. Very Very easy to tie. You can not screw up the presentation if you make your length of line between the indicator and split shot 1 1/2 times the depth of the water, the split shot needs to be at least a "B", and your distance from split to fly needs to be 16-22". If you swing the fly through the water for the last 45% of the cast you will catch fish almost any time of the year.