Fly Tying Inventory
Haystack
The Haystack is one of Fran Betters' original patterns, created in the 1950s on the Ausable River in the Adirondacks. It later spread to southern Appalachia and the Great Smoky Mountains, where it has long been a popular trout fly. It predates the Comparadun and uses the same idea: a deer hair wing fanned upright in a 180 degree arc over a dubbed body, with a deer hair tail and no hackle. It floats high, and by changing colors it can imitate mayflies such as the Quill Gordon, March Brown or Hendrickson. Sizes 12 to 18. Tied here on a standard dry-fly hook.
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Materials
Standard dry-fly hook, sizes 12-18
12-18
Black thread, or a color to match the body
Black
Deer hair
Deer hair
Natural or synthetic dry-fly dubbing, color to match the hatch
How to Tie the Haystack
- 1
Step 1
Start the thread behind the eye and wrap a base along the shank.
- 2
Step 2
Cut a clump of deer hair for the wing, comb out the underfur and short hairs, and even the tips in a stacker.
- 3
Step 3
Measure the clump against the hook and tie it in on top of the shank near the front with the tips pointing over the eye. Use firm wraps so the hair stays on top.
- 4
Step 4
Trim the wing butts and bind them down.
- 5
Step 5
Cut, clean and stack a second, smaller clump of deer hair. Tie it in at the bend with the tips extending behind the hook for the tail, then trim the butts and cover them with thread.
- 6
Step 6
Lift the wing upright and build thread wraps against its front so it stands on its own.
- 7
Step 7
Spread the wing hair into a fan that covers 180 degrees across the top of the hook.
- 8
Step 8
Dub the thread and wrap a body from the bend up to the wing.
- 9
Step 9
Carry the dubbing past the base of the wing and finish just behind the eye.
- 10
Step 10
Whip finish and cut the thread.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKsQXuXJSII
Credit: Savage Flies