Distressed Damsel

[Izaak]

DSCN4319 by flympher, on Flickr

DSCN4320 by flympher, on Flickr
Hook: TMC 206BL, size 14
Thread: Danville 8/0, olive
Hackle: Partridge, dyed olive
Body: Fur cut from rabbit strips, dark olive, encircling hook shank

[hankaye]

Izaak, Howdy;

Onlyist way i can think of to DE-stress that fly
would be to take it fishin' .....

hank

[letumgo]

Brilliant!

[Kelly L.]

I like the look of it when it's wet, very nice!

[Donald Nicolson]

A nice looking fly.

[Izaak]

You don't think it looks too much like a soft hackle fly with some trailing moss/algae on the hook?

[Mataura mayfly]

You don't think it looks too much like a soft hackle fly with some trailing moss/algae on the hook?

I do not think so, as you are not as "green" with your body material as the slime you pick up sometimes on the hook of a slow deep fished wet. In saying that I have taken trout on a "slime trailing" fly before!
Do you thing the barbs of your hackle are soft enough that they will arch on the retrieve to form a thorax and "pop" back to the position in your wet photo on the stop? If so I think it would be a very exciting pattern to fish.

[Izaak]

mm,

Yes, I think the barbs will compress back a little bit when the fly is stripped, and on the pause will probably flare back out. Likewise with the rabbit fur. It should look very similar to the top photo when submerged and thoroughly saturated, and not moving. When stripped through the water the fur should look similar to the bottom photo. I think!

Tom

[Soft-hackle]

Wonderful tying, Tom, and a sweet idea. Just add water--OH-you did! That makes it.

Mark