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 In this sequence I will demonstrate my version of an Extended Body Mayfly. This pattern is highly customizable and can be tied with a conventional hackle, parachute hackle, or a CDC parachute hackle or any number of variations to suite a particular tastes or circumstances.
The fly works well both on rivers and stillwaters, and it’s been particularly successful for me on days when the fish have been selective, rising all around but ignoring many other patterns being thrown at them.
This sequence will also demonstrate a technique of creating an extended body created using a sewing needle.
I hope you will enjoy the sequence and look forward to any comments or feedback you may have.
Recipe
Hook: Tiemco TMC206BL #12 - #18
Thread: UTC 70 Denier – Colour of choice
Tail: Micro Fibbets
Body: Deer hair, colour of choice, or possibly Elk for smaller sizes
Thorax: Superfine dry fly dubbing – Colour of choice
Hackle: Grizzly or colour of choice. (Can also substitute CDC)
Wing Post: Antron or Poly Yarn, colour of choice.
 Insert a medium thickness sewing needle into your vice. One around 2/3 the thickness of the hook you intend using ought to do it, and it also helps if it has a slightly rounded point.  Start your thread a few millimeters from the needle tip, and tie in 3 micro fibbets for the tail. Do not trim the excess fibbets. It’s also worth mentioning not to use too much thread tension when forming the extended body on the needle, as this will make removing it later more difficult, without damaging it.  Clean and stack some deer or Elk hair to align the tips. Tie in by the tips at the needle tip, as shown. You only want enough hair to cover the needle evenly, so don’t use too much, otherwise your body will be too bulky. Take your thread up the needle in touching turns to around one and a half times the length you want your final body to be.  Stroke the deer or Elk hair down onto the needle. You want it to surround the needle shaft evenly and want it to be fairly tight up against it, with no visible slack. When you’ve got it nicely positioned, make 2 wraps around it with your thread to secure, and then make several wraps back towards the needle point, creating gradually diminishing segmentation of your body.  Tie off your thread by doing a 3 turn whip finish just in front of the tail, and then apply a tiny amount of superglue to the thread using something sharp, like your bodkin, to secure. Once the glue is dry, you can remove the body from the needle. I find gripping the needle above where you tied the body using a pair of flat bladed long nose pliers, and sliding them towards the needle tip, effectively pushing the body off the needle is the easiest way to do it.  Remove the needle from your vice and insert your hook.  Start your thread about halfway down the hook shank and tie on your extended body which will be your fly’s abdomen. I’ve secured the body to the hook at 2 of the top segments. Once it’s properly secured with several thread turns, trim the excess body.  Tie in your wing post and take your thread back to where the thorax will start.  Dub the rear part of the thorax, and also make a few dubbed turns around the base of the wing post.  Prepare an appropriate size hackle feather and tie in at the wing post.  Make several turns of hackle around the wing post and then tie off the hackle and secure.  Complete the thorax by pulling back the post and hackle with your fingers, and then dubbing the in front of the wing post. Once complete, whip finish your fly, apply head cement and you’re done ! |
