Fly Tying Inventory
Deep Dish Green Drake
Curtis Fry built the Deep Dish for the plump crawler nymphs of the Western Green Drake, a destination hatch on waters such as Idaho's Henry's Fork. A tungsten mayfly bead, partridge legs and a wing case with a stripe down the back give it the bulk of the natural without making it a chore to tie. Change the hook size and it also covers Flavs, the Lesser Green Drakes. Fry carries a darker version as well, because many naturals run very dark green, close to black. Tied here on a size 12 hook.
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Materials
Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread, 70 denier, peacock green
Peacock Green · 70D
Nymph-Head Evolution Mayfly Clinger & Crawler Tungsten Beadhead, olive, small
Olive · Small
Nature's Spirit Ringneck Pheasant Center Tails, olive, for the tail and abdomen
Olive
UNI Mylar Double-Sided Tinsel, peacock/orange, size 16 (1/64"), for the stripe down the back
Peacock/Orange · 16
Thin Skin, brown
Brown
Premium Partridge Feathers, olive
Olive
Loon Fluorescing UV Clear Fly Finish, for the wing case
How to Tie the Deep Dish Green Drake
- 1
Step 1
Slide the bead onto the hook and set the hook in the vise. Wrap a short section of lead wire on the shank and push it up behind the bead.
- 2
Step 2
Start the thread behind the lead and lay a thread base back to the bend.
- 3
Step 3
Tie in a small bunch of olive pheasant tail fibers at the bend so the tips form the tail. Leave the butts long, because the same fibers make the abdomen.
- 4
Step 4
Tie in the olive wire at the bend, then bring the thread forward to the back of the thorax area.
- 5
Step 5
Wrap the pheasant tail fibers forward to form the abdomen. Tie them off at the front of the abdomen and trim the excess.
- 6
Step 6
Spiral the wire forward through the abdomen as a rib. Tie it off and trim it.
- 7
Step 7
Tie a piece of the mylar tinsel on top of the hook at the front of the abdomen, orange side up and pointing back over the body, so the peacock side shows after it is folded forward.
- 8
Step 8
Tie a strip of brown Thin Skin on top of the mylar, also pointing back, and leave the pair trailing out of the way.
With the skin over the mylar now, the tinsel lands on top as a stripe when the two are folded forward.
- 9
Step 9
Dub the thorax with Hare'e Ice Dub.
- 10
Step 10
Lay a partridge feather on top of the thorax with its stem running out past the bead and its fibers splayed back along each side as legs. Tie it down at the front of the dubbing and trim the stem.
- 11
Step 11
Add a little more dubbing to fill the thorax up to the bead.
- 12
Step 12
Pull the Thin Skin and mylar forward over the thorax together and tie them off behind the bead. Trim the excess and whip finish.
- 13
Step 13
Coat the wing case with UV fly finish and cure it.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6bzpRJwPzA
Credit: Curtis Fry / Fly Fish Food