The "F" Fly, or the Never-Fail
by Butch Shrake
The "F" Fly, or the Never-Fail
by Butch Shrake
I devised this fly about two years ago as the Never-Fail and later discovered that Marjan Fratnik, a Slovenian fly fisherman and tyer well known in Europe, invented and published descriptions of an identical fly (the F Fly) two years earlier.
When all else fails, this dry fly has consistently produced for me on streams in Maryland and Pennsylvania, where most of the aquatic invertebrates are very similar in appearance and behavior to those in California. It floats low in the film, perhaps suggesting an emerger. I like to tie it in colors of prevalent naturals, though this may be more important to me than to the fish. I'm currently experimenting with adding tails to the fly, and will report whether they add to (or detract from) its effectiveness.
| Hook: | Standard dry hook, sizes 14 to 22 I prefer barbed hooks with the barb flattened, having lost quite a few fish using TMC 100BL hooks |
| Thread: | 6/0 or 8/0 (Uni Thread, or similar) depending upon hook size. Dark thread or color to match the body. It does not seem to matter unless thread is being used as the body material. |
| Tail: | None |
| Body: | Very slim Fly Rite, Ever-Float or similar floating dubbing (fine polypropylene or other waterproofed fibers) or tying thread in the smallest sizes, color to match the fly if thread is to be the body. Peacock herl also seems to work well, tied sparse. |
| Wing: | One, two or three dense tufts of CDC depending upon hook size. Use the CDC feathers, not the oiler puffs. |
| Hackle: | None |
1. Crimp barb and start thread behind eye.
2. Bring thread back to rear of shank in touching wraps and dub a slim, tight body forward to 1/3 shank behind the eye. (For stones and caddis, you may bring the body forward to two eye lengths behind the eye.) In the smallest sizes, just use tying thread in touching wraps.
3. Tie in one to three CDC feathers, color and length appropriate to the natural you're suggesting. Pinch the feathers together and cut the thick ends of the stems. Tie on top of the hook, make a head (or if you prefer, add a few turns of dubbing between the CDC tie-in and head) and whip finish. Cut the other ends of the feathers to shape. I usually trim just beyond the bend of the hook for better floating in fast water.
4. Apply a small drop of head cement to the whip finish only.
5. Trim the CDC wing to a wedge shape as shown in the photo. The proportion of wing height to body length may vary according to the natural you're suggesting.
I tie the fly in the following color patterns:
Adams: Grey body with brown CDC
BWO: Olive body with light or medium dun CDC
Sulfur: Yellow body with yellow CDC
Brown: Brown body with brown CDC
Black: Black (Peacock herl) body with black or dark dun CDC
This is an extremely easy fly to tie and is very effective. It seems to imitate mayflies, caddises, and stoneflies equally well without the need for added features or complications. Fish in a dead drift. False cast or use a drying patch (Amadou, synthetic, or in a pinch, in a fold of your shirt) to restore the CDC when it gets waterlogged. Do NOT use paste, liquid or aerosol floatant on CDC: it will mat it down and ruin it. Even waterlogged and submerged, it catches fish.
(Each club member is welcome and encouraged to submit your favorite fly for publication here. Please include a picture with your words of wisdom about why it's your favorite, how to tie it and how to fish it.)