How to Tie a Parachute Fly

Parachute style dry flies are designed to float lower in the water than a traditional hackle dry fly. Traditional hackle is wrapped in a vertical fashion and the hackle tips rest on the surface of the water. Parachute hackle is wrapped around a post and the tips are parallel to the water. The body of the fly floats low in the surface film and the hackle supports the body on top of the water. Parachute flies are effective for imitating emerging adults, adult and crippled adult phases of a mayfly, midge and caddis fly.

Things You'll Need

  • Vise
  • 8/0 tying thread
  • Hackle fibers
  • Fine dry fly dubbing
  • Calf tail
  • Dry fly hackle
  • Whip finish tool
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clamp the dry fly hook in the fly-tying vise. Start the thread near the hook eye and wrap it to the hook bend. Use tight wraps to form an even thread base for the body.

    • 2

      Cut five hackle fibers from a saddle feather. Measure the fibers to match the length of the hook shank. Hold the fibers on the hook bend with the tips extended as a tail. Make six tight thread wraps to secure the fibers on the hook.

    • 3

      Remove a small amount of fine, dry fly dubbing from a bag. Place a thin layer of dubbing against the thread and spin it on the thread with your fingers. Wrap the dubbing covered thread two-thirds of the way down the hook shank, forming an even abdomen for the fly.

    • 4

      Cut a small clump of calf tail fibers from the tail. Brush the base of the fibers with your fingers to remove the underfur and broken pieces of hair. Measure the tips of the hair to match the length of the hook shank. Hold the measured point on the shank at the current thread position. The tips must extend over the bend of the hook. Make seven moderately tight thread wraps to secure the hackle on the hook. Cut the base of the fibers away from the hook.

    • 5

      Pull the calf tail fibers into a vertical position with your fingers and make 10 parachute thread wraps around the base of the fibers. The thread wraps will hold the hair in the vertical position and create a permanent post on the fly.

    • 6

      Select a hackle feather with fibers measuring slightly longer than the hook gap. The length is a matter of preference, with short fibers making a smaller presence on the water than long fibers. Pull several fibers off the stem of the feather. Hold the stem against the post and make six thread wraps to connect the stem to the hook shank. Make and additional six parachute thread wraps to connect the stem to the post.

    • 7

      Add a thin layer of dubbing to the thread and spin it with your fingers. Wrap the thread around the remaining section of hook shank, leaving a small gap between the dubbing and hook eye.

    • 8

      Grab the tip of the hackle feather and wrap the feather around the calf tail post. Continue winding the hackle, with each wrap slightly lower on the post. Make four to six total wraps around the base of the calf tail. Stop the hackle with the feather extended over the hook eye. Make six tight thread wraps to secure the hackle at the hook eye. Cut away the excess hackle feather.

    • 9

      Hook each end of a whip finish tool on the thread. Rotate the handle of the tool to wrap half hitch knots around the hook eye. Make 10 turns with the tool and cut the thread from the hook.