Tried to tie a pattern from memory i read in an article a few years ago and it has been doing the business on the river at night in between spates.
First get some waterproof sellotape.
Take a small woodcock feather and stick it flat to a piece of sellotape (dull side showing up)
Cut with scissors the wing shape mirrored about the stem of the feather (a delta shape with a generous radius at the top corners)
Been using a size 12 hook onto which a run of brown silk is added to the hook gape.
Strip and cut up some dark/grey dun CDC feathers and dub this back along to the eye.
Fold over flat and tie in the wing, add two dark brown strands from a pheasant tail feather for feelers, then tie in a long dark brown cock hen feather for the hackle.
Trial and error gets the wing shape correct. Also not sure, but cutting up CDC may result in some loss in floating properties and it seems that the better it sits on the surface the better it fishes. I have been trying other stuff like foam etc for the body.
Last thing is i have been folding the wing with the feather on the outside which gets ripped easily with the takes, so i think the tape should be on the outside.
As i say done from memory but it has been accounting for better fish, and outperforming the traditional big flea. I sat the imitation beside a natural which landed on me and it looked the part (but it was getting dark)
Have used it as a dry where it took a very fussy grayling about 1lb which i thought was a decent trout, but probably better fished down and across without mending and using an occasional line retrieve to give a nice wake.
Cheers
I've posted a version of this on the Fly Pattern Database.
http://www.wild-fishing-scotland.co.uk/flydatabase/locationdetail.php?loc=1885
I've used waterproof sellotape which lasts a bit longer. You can also use floo glue to paint the feather side which helps it last a bit longer too. I've also used deer hair as dubbing on this one which was a real pain to get dubbed on, but I've also used CDC on a dubbing rope mixed with various colours of seals fur.
Good fly!
Steve
Good reminder of a simple but effective pattern East Wind, especially now that there are plenty of sedge out in the evenings.
Sandy B.O.
Another option is to apply chopped CDC barbs to the sticky side of some Scotch tape, using this as the underside ( looks just like the veins and hairs on a caddisfly) . Then colour the topside with a marker. Oliver Edwards uses that approach in one of his DVDs. He uses CDC in a dubbing loop ( or split thread) as a palmer hackle/ body. I have a problem with the attitude of said fly though - it often flops onto its side. I like the effect though for a wing - I think I 'll try it without the palmered CDC hackle though - perhaps using a clipped conventional hackle to keep the attitude right.
Cheers,
.D.
Anyone please advise on Where I get a hold of waterproof sellotape?
I dispatched Mrs East Wind down town and she came back with Sellotape Diamond Ultra Clear.
She can't remember where she got it but perhaps a craft shop. I also think florists use it, comes up on google.
Cheers
I'm pretty sure I got mine from WHSmiths.
Steve
Cheers lads. Thought it might be hard to get a hold of but obviousely not. I'll try my local WH Smiths.