I want to tie up some flies to represent Yellow Sallies as I've been told that there can be good hatches of them in the evenings around here. I've found a few patterns which I can use, but I'm not sure what size the insect actually is. So, what size of hook would best suit imitating this insect?
John
I would go for a size 14. They're big flees and very yellow.
Cheers
Paul
A lot of the ones I see have a greenish tinge to them :dunno
Try...
Tails a few yellow cock fibres
Body yellow dubbing with a small amount of light green or olive mixed in wound slim
Hackle yellow cock short wound either side of wing
Wing white polypropylene tied upright
Hook #14 (as Paul says)
Also a good pattern for the Yellow May Dun.
QuoteA lot of the ones I see have a greenish tinge to them
Me too.
I have often heard the Yellow May Dun wrongly called a Yellow Sally, so that may be what the locals are referring to.
Alex
Thanks folks.
Yes it may well be the Yellow May Dun that the guy was referring to. I'll tie up a few different patterns which should represent both species (on 14's).
John
For others like me, who said palomino whit?
http://www.flyfishersrepublic.com/tying/palomino-body/
Quote from: Ian_M on May 22, 2011, 12:44:39 PM
For others like me, who said palomino whit?
http://www.flyfishersrepublic.com/tying/palomino-body/
Me, for one! I found the same site too.
John
John,
We have huge hatches of the Yellow May Dun on the River Leven. It's incredibly frustrating trying to get them to take the dries. I do much better with sub surface imitations than the surface ones and tend to fish two flies - a spider (partridge and red or partridge and yellow) and a dry on the tail. For whatever reason with the YMD I simply can't get them to take damp emerger type flies. If I can get the dries to sit proud of the surface then they are more successful. I've got a new pattern awaiting testing at the moment. It's got a palmered CDC and yellow hen hackle and dyed Snowshoe wing. I'll be trying it out this week
Quote from: Malcolm on May 22, 2011, 12:47:10 PM
John,
We have huge hatches of the Yellow May Dun on the River Leven. It's incredibly frustrating trying to get them to take the dries. I do much better with sub surface imitations than the surface ones and tend to fish two flies - a spider (partridge and red or partridge and yellow) and a dry on the tail. For whatever reason with the YMD I simply can't get them to take damp emerger type flies. If I can get the dries to sit proud of the surface then they are more successful. I've got a new pattern awaiting testing at the moment. It's got a palmered CDC and yellow hen hackle and dyed Snowshoe wing. I'll be trying it out this week
Thanks Malcolm, it'll be interesting to know how you get on. I don't really know whether the guy I talked too was really referring to Yellow Sallies or Yellow Mays. What he did say was that the bigger troots only come up when the 'Yellow Sallies' are on. He suggested a Greenwells Spider as an imitation. I'll be out during the week, so hopefully I'll find something out then.
John
I've found a greenwells DHE a good imitation at the start of the seasons hatch but my experience is that after a fortnight of gorging themselves on them the troots become very hard to tempt.
It's good while it lasts though.
The chap you were speaking too probably meant the yellow may dun and not the stone flee.
Cheers
Paul
Interesting thread but I thought yellow sally's were Stoneflies ( as per entomology thread ) and that trout didn't eat adult or emerging stoneflies ? :? :?
Donald,
Yellow sallies are indeed stoneflies but people often call things by the wrong name.
Bandy was told they were yellow sallies but it is possible that the person was describing the Yellow May Dun - you can see big hatches of them at this time of year in the evenings - or even the pale evening dun or yellow evening dun.
I remember Alex posted on another thread that he saw a large stonefly being hammered by a good trout. I've never been aware of trout going for large stoneflies. I've watched hundreds of them on the water too!
I'm another one who has had some frustrating times during hatches of YMD, and I'm beginning to go for the false rise during the day and true rise between 7pm and 9pm theory.
I have a few elaborate creations ready but i seem to remember a dry spider pattern doing OK. Light Cahill thread with both partridge and grey hackles.
Great feedback guys. Thanks for that.
I'm out on the river on Thursday, so I'll let you know what the score is. Sometime over the next few weeks I'll figure out whether we're talking Yellow Mays or Yellow Sallies, and I'll let you know.
John