[Iain Cameron]

I notice that a couple of you tyers aren't leaving much room for the thorax. There's no doubt they'll catch fish, but if the wing is set forward the fly will suspend like a shuttlecock pattern, if it floats at all.  Spiderman's ties are they way I like them.

hi Bob

nice to see you on the forum - enjoyed both your books very much.

great to read your input on the DHE. I've a few with a very minimal thorax (probably 'cos I screwed up the positioning of the wing and didn't leave space) and will cheat by wrapping thread turns around the wing to stand it up - makes it more of a post than a shuttlecock. Not perfect, but does the  job.

I've also been tying them sort of the 2.0 way. 6-8 turns of thread, trim the tag end, dubbing down shank to bend, rib back up with tying thread, wing on top, trim the butts at 45' (ish!), dub in a bit of thorax and stop. 3-4 mins. Next!

cheers
iain

[Mike Barrio]

Welcome to the forum Bob

Best wishes
Mike

[Iain Goolager]

Hi Bob,

Ok, Ok I'll sort out my thoraxes. Thoraxi? 


Iain

[Allan Liddle]

Hi Bob
How you doin, hope all's well your end and the trout are respondin.
DHE is still my go to along with the Dirty Duster and I'm with you regarding size, rarely drop below s16.
These are much more versatile flies than simple dead drift semi submerged dries, and I'll often use them dead drift or ( in the case of DD) as a spider in difficult lies. Wet them, roll cast and if floating a quick pull and swing just sub surface, amazing how many trout will nail this.

DHE as a nymph, often use a two dry cast ( this has been done to death and many here will be throwing hands up in horror) with a standard DHE on bob and worn or clipped wing on tail ( ginked stumps so it swims just sub surface) works almost due style with takes showing on the bob fly, although to be honest you'll see them take the 'nymph' most times anyway.

Feel like I'm telling Granny how to suck eggs so I'll stop here, big thanks for a whole heap of fishin input Bob, left an impression with this simple angler I can tell you.

Cheers

Allan

PS Sandy I've never had much of a problem getting the fly to 'kick' right, especially if I use saliva on the body before applying gink to the wing and back of thorax. Sparse dubbed body and the amount of thread below should be enough weight and ensure minimal air present to stop it sitting right, in fact the only time I do get problems is when I've fecked up the gink and got it on the body as well.

[Bob Wyatt]

Sounds like you've got it sorted, Allan. 
The DHE should 'cock' upright with no weight needed.  The usual cause for the fly not riding right is a wing that's too long.  This will tend to make the fly go over on its side.  The other is as Allan says, getting floatant on the abdomen.

Years ago it became apparent that some people were having trouble getting the proportions right, primarily position and length of the deer hair wing.  Hans' DHE 2.0 tying sequence makes tying the fly a doddle.  It's a more conventional straight forward sequence with no tag as rib, or covering the butt ends of the wing.



Allan, I've also been surprised at how often fish will nail the DHE as it starts its swing at the end of a drift.  And not just small trout. I reckon it's that disturbance and wake, which is a pretty strong trigger. I've stopped thinking of it as a fluke and use it as a tactic, especially near dark on a couple of rivers where you have to cast really long and can't avoid drag anyway.

Sandy, I think you should give snowshoe hare foot fur another go.  Make sure it really is snowshoe hare, because rabbit and Brown hare feet don't have the same hair structure that the snowshoe does.  As you, like CDC it's the hair structure not the 'oil' or other property that makes it float. It beats the pants off CDC, IMO, and infinitely more durable. Keep the wing sparse because it doesn't take much to keep the fly at the surface and visible.  Great for those emergers under size 16.

Just FYI, This past season I conducted a little one-fly longitudinal study. Except for a couple of times nymphing the lake edges, I fished a 16 SHE (white wing, black/claret seals fur body) for three months straight, no matter what the fish were eating, including the willow grub. The tiny (size 18-24) willow grub is a real ball-breaker down here, but I caught as many WG feeders as I usually do, and as many or more than anyone I fished with this season.  Most people fish specific willow grub patterns from January to April, when the trout are supposedly locked in to these wee grubs. They drive anglers crazy.

Bob

[Sandy Nelson]

Well i re-visted your Book, Bob and applied the same attitude i did when trying to make progress with the DHE.(ie following the instructions )

So i kept it a bit more sparse and tied up a few in different sizes, today tried them out and i had a Snowshoe Hare Emerger on a size 16 doing the biz



The size 14's still sink but perhaps thats to be expected the Size 16 was a little belter and i fished only it with lots of success today during the BWO hatches.

A Happy addition to next years Flybox

Sandy