Buggy looking Flies

[jlibs]

What do you think the buggiest looking fly is?

I think the half-back nymph is my #1 buggy looking fly. There are many different interpretations and patterns for this one.

Hook: 2XL or 3XL
Thread: 6/0 black
Weight: as desired
Tail: Ringneck Pheasant tail fibers
Rear Wing Case: Ringneck Pheasant tail fibers
Abdomen: Peacock herl
Rear Hackle: Hen or Saddle, brown
Thorax: Peacock herl
Front Hackle: Hen or Saddle, brown

[Mark Patenaude]

What do you mean by "buggy"

That term used when referring to flies has a number of meanings...

[yashuone]

if we are talking number of possible interpretations i think that a good ol' hare's ear is a great searching pattern...

[JoeOverlock]

I try to make all my flies look like bugs. ;D

[jlibs]

OK. Yes, my question is up to some interpretation. Yes, the flies I tie are supposed to imitate bugs (thanks, Joe), but some are more buggy looking and more alive looking than others. A Caddis Pupa does not look buggy to me, for example, even though it may catch fish under the right circumstances.

Yashuone posted and said a hare's ear looks like a buggy fly to him and it's a good searching pattern. I like a hare's ear with the dubbing wrapped with lots of active fibers hanging out around the body (as opposed to wrapped tightly and smooth) and I like to pick out the legs under the thorax.

[JoeOverlock]

But how can something that is supposed to look like a bug not look buggy? It's like a Rapala that doesn't look fishy, or a bird decoy that doesn't look birdy, or a fisherman that doesn't look grubby. A train leaves Boston traveling West at 45mph at 9:00 UTC, at the same time a train leaves Guam traveling North at 50mph. What is the name of the conductor?


My mind is melting....

;D

[Mark Patenaude]

A tyer can control the "bugginess" look to any fly.

This can be accomplished by substituting dubbing materials that have a high number of "guard" hairs and/or not creating too tight of a dubbing noodle or loop. Also, as you stated, you can pick out the dubbing along the body or thorax to create the impression of legs or an inflated wing case.

You can also substitute the stiffer saddle hackles used in patterns with soft hackle feathers or after-shaft feathers like those used in Sparrow patterns.

I think its a matter of personal preference as to how you want your flies to look, but remember to pay close attention to the proportions and color, these are the two most important factors in any fly.

I like the look of the fly you tied but would have selected a hackle that had a more severe taper at the tip so that the body would present more of a taper toward the rear.

Mark