1/ Tie
in your thread just behind the hook eye. Wind back
to a point roughly1/4 to 1/3 along the hook shank
and towards the rear of the fly. This is the point
at which you will tie in your Hi-Vis wing post.
Use the photo to the right to gauge exactly how
far to take the thread. Once you are happy with
the way it looks proceed to Step 2.
2/ Take
a small pinch of Honey Hi Vis and tie in. The easiest
way to do this is to pick out half as thick a bunch
as you want to use but at least double the length
eg. two hook shanks in length. Tie it in flat with
half extending to the left and half to the right
when viewed from above. Then grip the Hi Vis and
hold it vertically in place while several horizontal
wraps are used as a base to tie the hackle on. Trim
the wing to suit.
3/ Wind
the thread evenly back towards the rear of the fly
stopping at a point directly above the barb of the
hook. This is where we will tie in the tail. Select
a small bunch of Microfibbetts equal in length to
the hook shank. Tie in as shown to form a tail and
remove the excess tail filament stubs. Go to Step
4.
4/ Next
up pinch a small amount of dubbing from the packet.
Form a slightly tapered rope starting thin and gradually
getting thicker. It may take several goes to get
the right amount but once you are familiar with
the particular hook size you are tying the fly in
you should be able to grab the correct amount pretty
much first time, every time.
5/ Start
winding this rope of dubbing you have constructed
forward towards the upright wing you made in Step
2. Generally you will be winding forward each successive
turn just to the front of the previous one. However
use your judgement and if you have to wind more
or less depending on how the tapered body is coming
along. Once this is completed wind the thread forward
just in front of the wing.
6/ Find
a good feather from your cape. I would recommend
using one from a cape and not a saddle as the tapering
of these feathers makes for much nicer parachute
style flies. Tie it in at the back of the wing with
the shiny side facing slightly towards you and upwards.
This will greatly help when winding it in later.
Trim the excess Feather stub and bring the thread
forward to the hook eye.
7/ Once
again grab a pinch of dubbing, this time a much
smaller one as we are only making a much smaller
section than in Step 4. Now this looks different
to the way many are used to tying in their parachute
patterns and tying off at the front of the fly.
I tie mine in horizontally around the base of the
wing post and I have yet to find a neater looking
or stronger way of doing it.
8/ Now
wind this dubbed rope back towards the wing. This
body should also be tapered as in Step 5 with the
thinnest part first getting thicker to match the
body size around the wing post. When it looks right,
as in the accompanying photo, move onto Step 9.
9/
We are now ready to wind the parachute
style hackle. Being careful not to break the hackle
wind it around the wing post in a counter clockwise
direction. Use between three and five turns with
each successive turn beneath the previous one. When
complete take the thread and make three horizontal
turns catching the hackle feather and locking it
in place. The first over the feather, second under
and the third over it again.
10/
Take your scissors and remove the excess
hackle feather. It is now totally locked in place.
Bring the thread forward to the hook eye keeping
it on top of the fly. If you want pull it down hard
so that it bites into the dubbed body and is obscured.
Add a couple of half hitches behind the hook eye
or whip finish if you prefer and Voila!
10b/
This is just a photo from above to give
you an idea of the amount of hackle required. This
is about the perfect amount for most parachute dun
ties. Also notice the slightly tapering body just
like the real thing.
The
Pattern
The paradun is probably
my favourite pattern and is certainly one of the most
effective. We use it from seasons beginning to seasons
end and find it would produce more fish than any other
dry fly. The combination of a highly visible wing and
low riding body is highly effective. I would say that
it represents various stages of the hatch and is therefore
successful more often than a dedicated 'dun', 'emerger'
or 'cripple' pattern as the trout can at times unnoticeably
switch between these stages of emergence. We have noticed
this throughout the years and trout seem to take it
from the beginning of the hatch right through until
the duns leave the water. It is particularly effective
in smaller sizes from #16 down and last year accounted
for more 4lb + fish on the Goulburn than all other
patterns put together even nymphs!
* Use only a small
amount of Hi-Vis as it is suggestive of the wing and
needs the light sparkling through it to be at its best.
Too much really negates the effectiveness of this material.
