Troutnut.com Fly Fishing for Trout Home
User Password
or register.
Scientific name search:

> > Tying extended bodies



Post Reply
Jss127November 30th, 2010, 5:19 pm
Posts: 1I just read a nice entry on using foam for extended body mayflies. I've done quite a bit of internet searching and I have not been able to find a good step by step pictorial of tying the extended body. Does anyone have a recommendation? Thanks!!
jss
WogerDecember 16th, 2010, 5:20 pm
Posts: 3Below is a good one, although it's easiest for large flies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgDgELAo0sw
MartinlfDecember 16th, 2010, 8:24 pm
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3233		Troutnut Lloyd Gonzales has an excellent method for using foam to tie extended bodies. See his book, Fly-Fishing Pressured Water: Tying Tactics For Today's Trout.

http://www.amazon.com/Fly-Fishing-Pressured-Water-Tactics-Todays/dp/0811732207
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
BippieDecember 19th, 2010, 8:10 pm
Altoona, PA

Posts: 25		Go to youtube and search for Davie McPhail extended body flies, he has several step by step patterns.
PaulRobertsDecember 21st, 2010, 6:08 am
Colorado

Posts: 1776		Lloyd's book IS very good. He has a lot of innovative approaches.
JlivelyJune 29th, 2011, 9:41 pm
Horseheads, NY

Posts: 4		Deer hair is another way to make extended bodies. Swisher and Richards call it the Paradun. See p. 164-165 in Selective Trout.
MartinlfJune 30th, 2011, 1:39 pm
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3233		I also had some luck this year with a furled polyyarn body on a green drake spinner pattern. It's light, floats well enough, and, best of all, the trout said OK.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
EntomanJune 30th, 2011, 2:35 pm
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604		I third Louis and Paul recommending Gonzo's book, as much for the approach as the flies. Every TroutNutter that fishes our "name" rivers should own one. Except those of you that live in S. Oregon or N. California - I don't need the competition. :)
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
JOHNWJune 30th, 2011, 10:20 pm
Chambersburg, PA

Posts: 452		Don't forget the good old Fly tiers benchside reference. If you cant find a technique in that tome it is likely you don't need it.
"old habits are hard to kill once you have gray in your beard" -Old Red Barn
Jmd123July 1st, 2011, 2:03 pm
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2611		I tie extended bodies with deer/elk hair for Hexagenia imitations (you can do smaller ones for other mayflies). You basically have to tie a bunch of hair extending about a hook-shank's length beyond the bend of the hook, draw the hair together with your fingers into a spike, then spiral-wrap your thread out to near the end of the hair spike, make a few wraps on the end, and then spiral-wrap the thread back down the hair spike. It's tricky and takes some practice but it makes a very nice tapering, curved abdomen and the sprial cross-wraps add to the appearance. Also, while tying in the elk or deer hair, include a few fibers of moose hair, about twice as long as the deer or elk hair, to represent the mayfly's tails - the easiest way to do this is to tie the elk/deer hair on in two clumps with the moose hairs tied in between the two clumps. I would illustrate this with photos but my camera isn't quite up to the task...hope this helps!

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
TroutnutJuly 1st, 2011, 7:55 pm
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2737
Don't forget the good old Fly tiers benchside reference. If you cant find a technique in that tome it is likely you don't need it.


That's what I told people, until I got Gonzo's book. Now you need both. ;)

Actually I suppose Gonzo's techniques fall more under "really, really want" than "need"... but in fly fishing those are pretty much the same thing.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
RogueratAugust 4th, 2011, 7:17 pm
Posts: 472		check the Flytyer website for this tecnique, a really neat step-by-step pictorial on using the Renzetti wire base method for extended-body mayflies. I'm doing ongoing experimentation on home-made versions, using white 1 mm craft-foam and doing the color and details with Prismacolor pens.

Shane Stalcup's excellent book, 'Mayflies top to bottom' also has some good tips on various extended-body methods- well worth a look.

however they're tied, this is a neat bug to throw; just watch for leader-twist- they can be real helicopters, too!

I Peter 5:7...'Cast your cares upon Him'

Quick Reply

You have to be logged in to post on the forum. It's this easy:
Username:          Email:

Password:    Confirm Password:

I am at least 13 years old and agree to the rules.

Related Discussions

TitleRepliesLast Reply
Re: School Art Project
In Fly Tying by FisherOfMen		4Mar 26, 2012
by Entoman
Re: Deer hair daddy long legs dry fly
In Fly Tying by Coha		1Jul 31, 2020
by Martinlf
Extended body stuff
In Fly Tying by Roguerat		0
Elk Hair Caddis by Barry Ord Clarke
In Fly Tying by Coha		0
Re: Salmonflies
In Fly Tying by Martinlf		4Nov 9, 2018
by Unsinkable1
Re: extended-body dries
In Fly Tying by Roguerat		5Aug 8, 2011
by Roguerat
Re: Info on Chris Helm
In the Photography Board by Oldredbarn		2Nov 29, 2014
by Martinlf
Re: Caucci's Compara-Nymph Step by Step
In Fly Tying by NEMatt		6Jul 10, 2014
by NEMatt
Re: elk body hair vs. deer body hair
In Fly Tying by Mcjames		1Apr 18, 2013
by Entoman
Re: My favorite new fly tying books
In Fly Tying by Troutnut		2Aug 18, 2006
by Upnorth2