Sexy Hexy

[JG63]

Hook: #10 Mustad 94840

Body: strip of vinyl serving glove wrapped around a finishing nail and melted with lighter

Wing: gray macrame cord “poly yarn”

Thorax: amber floating yarn

Hackle: Whiting Coq De Leon

Notice the translucency when held up to the light - it makes for good optics but I never catch fish on Hexes anyhow - spinners don’t hit the water until after I leave 😆

 

[Bamboozle]

Vince Marinaro's Porcupine Quill Green Drake Spinner comes immediately to mind...

 

[JG63]

I still have a Mustad hook box full of Porky quills thanks to his patterns - I found them brittle and difficult to work with - especially tying tails on the point 😀 - Vince was always a fly fishing hero for me as I lived right down the street from his Marble Street home - his influence on my fishing in general cannot be understated - however, being two generations removed, my skill level was always “sub par”. I find it rather humorous despite all his skill, book writing, and truly scientific angling, Fox used to joke that Vince couldn’t catch fish.

 

[Bamboozle]

Not as "sexy" or translucent as your fly, but I tie an extended body parachute version of several large flies using 1/8" cylindrical foam for the body on a size 12 regular dry fly hook.

I slit about 1/4" of the foam halfway though, push the slit over the hook shank and lash it down. The rest of fly construction including a synthetic dubbing thorax & wing is standard for a parachute except I like slightly oversized hackle.

For a tail which is purely for looks, I heat a pin and shove it about 3/16" into the end of the foam, wait a second or two and pull it out leaving a tiny hole. Then I super glue a couple of Microfibbetts in the hole.

You COULD heat the very end of the foam and roll it between your fingers to create a tapered end, but I don't bother. I also don't make the coloration more realistic with markers. Close is good enough for me.

I created this pattern one morning in a rental cabin at the breakfast table while studying some Green Drake spinners I captured the night before. First, they take barely more time to tie than a regular parachute.

Second, the small hook, foam abdomen, synthetic dubbing & wing and slightly oversized parachute hackle allow these puppies to land upright and float a LONG time like a cork.

Finally, the body is soft so I've had no issues with fish rejecting the fly.

 

[Bamboozle]

I still have a Mustad hook box full of Porky quills thanks to his patterns - I found them brittle and difficult to work with - especially tying tails on the point 😀 - Vince was always a fly fishing hero for me as I lived right down the street from his Marble Street home - his influence on my fishing in general cannot be understated - however, being two generations removed, my skill level was always “sub par”. I find it rather humorous despite all his skill, book writing, and truly scientific angling, Fox used to joke that Vince couldn’t catch fish.

Vince was one of my heroes as well because he was from PA and his books were among the very first I bought & read. The very first time I ever laid eyes on the Letort the green muslin screens he set up down by Charlie Fox's house to hide behind while taking photos for "In the Ring of the Rise" were in place. I got to meet and chat with him a couple of times in the 1980's and get those books signed.

I'm really not a a fly "collector," but of the handful of files I own tied by famous anglers, the only fly prominently displayed in a fancy shadow box with a photo is one of Vince's Thorax flies. 😉

 

[JG63]

Not as "sexy" or translucent as your fly, but I tie an extended body parachute version of several large flies using 1/8" cylindrical foam for the body on a size 12 regular dry fly hook.

I slit about 1/4" of the foam halfway though, push the slit over the hook shank and lash it down. The rest of fly construction including a synthetic dubbing thorax & wing is standard for a parachute except I like slightly oversized hackle.

For a tail which is purely for looks, I heat a pin and shove it about 3/16" into the end of the foam, wait a second or two and pull it out leaving a tiny hole. Then I super glue a couple of Microfibbetts in the hole.

You COULD heat the very end of the foam and roll it between your fingers to create a tapered end, but I don't bother. I also don't make the coloration more realistic with markers. Close is good enough for me.

I created this pattern one morning in a rental cabin at the breakfast table while studying some Green Drake spinners I captured the night before. First, they take barely more time to tie than a regular parachute.

Second, the small hook, foam abdomen, synthetic dubbing & wing and slightly oversized parachute hackle allow these puppies to land upright and float a LONG time like a cork.

Finally, the body is soft so I've had no issues with fish rejecting the fly.

Agree totally! Foam is much more durable too - and it “splats” just right …