You’d think we’d get tired of talking about dragonflies around here, but I can tell you: not even close. That’s because as rated a fish food as it is, we believe it is in fact underrated, and are here to sell them to you as the ultimate freshwater fly-tying inspiration.
THE FLOATING DRAGON
In contrast to Platon’s brilliant Lalu Bug, which is designed to hit the bottom, I’ve been working on the old-school idea of ‘The Floating Dragon’. Using pretty much only foam, I’ve concocted a way to tie some fat nymphs that I’m hoping will prove as versatile as I think they should be.
You could float it over weed beds and so on, but the possibilities in combination with intermediate or sinking lines and/or split shots are almost endless. Here’s not so much an SBS as an idea of how I build them, for you to tinker with as you please:
DEAR HAIR ROACH
You probably know that dragonfly nymphs swim via anal water jet propulsion; they are, one could say, the original poephol pilots. The foam roach banks on the fact that these critters don’t swim with graceful undulations of the body. But we all know a fish loves a buggy fly, so, the foam-eyed deer hair roach is another new one I’m giving a good go. Whereas it doesn’t float, per se, it just about refuses to sink. Great for an ultra-slow presentation. I’ve done well on bass and some quality Winterberg rainbows with its predecessor, the Deer Hair Roach, full SBS here.
LIBELLULID
Then, perhaps the buggiest and simplest of them all, one of my all-time best small stream trout patterns, is this little nameless Libellulid imitation. This thing has accounted for several of my best stream fish, and pulls them from a distance. I fish it in combo with a wool indicator in faster water, or on its own on a long leader with a slow twitch retrieve in larger pools. More on that here.
Also, I still want a smallstream brown trout on an adult dragonfly imitation, but I want to make him jump for it.
Hi there.
Would these patterns be available to purchase?
As always supper epic tying LeRoy
Very nice! These are very similar to my best carp flies.