How to Tie a Parachute Dry Fly
- 1). Clamp the hook in the vise. Make sure the hook is level in the vise and that the shaft and point of the hook are exposed.
- 2). Wrap the thread around the hook three or four times. At the beginning of the hook bend, wrap the thread around a pinch of hackle feather fibers to form a tail that extends beyond the hook bend.
- 3). Affix the dubbed fur to the thread by rubbing the fur and the thread between your thumb and forefinger. The fur will stick to the thread and create a slender fur cylinder. Wrap the fur cylinder around the hook to create a tapered fur body that extends up to the 3/4 point of the hook.
- 4). Tie in a pinch of deer hair or calf tail fibers by wrapping the thread around the fibers three or four times. Wrap the thread horizontally five or six times around the base of the calf tail fibers.
- 5). Tie in a single hackle feather at the base of the calf tail fibers. Wrap the feather horizontally around the calf tail fibers, making sure that the individual feather fibers stand out at a 90-degree angle from the calf tail fibers. Wrap the thread over the very tip of the feather and trim away any excess feather fibers.
- 6). Create a second fur cylinder on the thread and form the rest of the fly's body by wrapping the fur around the hook shank up to a point just behind the eye of the hook. Carefully avoid trapping the hackle feather fibers under the fur body.
- 7). Create a head for the fly by wrapping the thread five to 15 times around the hook just behind the hook eye. Tie off the thread and cut off any excess thread.
- 8). Apply a drop of varnish to the head of the fly. Let the varnish dry. The parachute dry fly is now ready to fish.
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