Rob's
DRY

ONE THING we have learned over the years is the value of a big dry fly when trout are taking mayfly duns. Perhaps trout are greedy and make for a superdun, or perhaps the somewhat different form attracts attention among the multitude of standard sized natural flies. Probably we shall never know the true answer.

The attraction may be due to the colour of a fly. Again, we don't know. We are content with the facts that Rob's Dry is a burly, bushy pattern, a great floater, easily seen by the angler, and, over the years, has caught brown trout galore.

Not only is it successful when trout are taking duns, it is also extremely useful as a large floating lure-fly when polaroiding at times when trout are not rising.

On summer days, when browns can be seen hunting dragonflies, Rob's Dry is our automatic choice, and as an imitation grasshopper on rivers and streams it is absolutely first class. Tied smaller, and with fibres of cock-hackle for a tail, the pattern has proved to be very successful during hatches of smaller kinds of mayflies on inland waters.

Rob's Dry originated from the Coch-y-Bondhu, though you wouldn't think so to look at it. One summer we were doing particularly well fishing the Coch during dun hatches, but felt we needed something rather bolder, more attractive and easily seen by us as well as by the fish. After putting on a tail, tying the fly bigger and changing the hackle colours we hit on this extremely good combination. The reddish tinge seems attractive and the fly is a great floater in rough water. It catches a lot of fish, too!

DRESSING
Hook: No.12, 10 or 8.
Tail: Crow or cormorant feather fibres.
Body: Peacock herl.
Hackle: Two, one Sienna brown, one reddish-brown.
Silk: Black Gossamer.

Rob's Dry is tied with two hackles, one brown, the other a reddish brown. The first hackle is usually a finely-barred white or pale ginger cock hackle dyed with Veniard's Sienna dye.

To get the reddish brown I usually dip a sienna-dyed hackle briefly in pillar box red dye. You may find experimentation too fiddly, and decide that a well-dyed fiery brown hackle will do. However, the field is wide open for experimentation with hackle colours, though this recipe of a brown and a reddish-brown hackle has proved to be a winning combination for us.

The tail is made from a few crow or cormorant feather fibres, the body is tied from peacock herl of good quality. A brown and then a reddish cock hackle complete the pattern, except for clipping a V-shaped gap from the hackles on the underside of the fly. We like a dry fly that sits down on the water.

The tying sequence is as follows. Using black Gossamer tying silk, whip a No.12, 10 or 8 hook to the bend, where tie in a few strands of crow or cormorant feather fibres as a medium-sized tail. (When making the bigger No.8 grasshopper variation don't use feather fibres as a tail. Instead leave the ends of the peacock body-herls to represent legs).

Next tie in two good, bronze peacock herls and wind them to form the body, which should not be over-long, as the fly is to carry two hackles, so sufficient room must be left for them.

After finishing the body tie in a brown hackle, wind four or five turns, tie it down and clip off the surplus. Next, tie in the reddish brown hackle, make four or five turns, tie down, clip off the surplus and finish with a small head. Finally, clip out a V-shaped gap from the lower side of the hackles. Soak the fly in floatant. By the way, you can leave the hackle tips on, tied erect, if you wish.

SUMMARY
* Whip hook to bend, tie in crow or cormorant feather-fibre tail.
* Tie in two good peacock herls, wind to form body.
* Tie in brown cock hackle, four or five turns, leave short tip erect if you wish.
* Tie in reddish-brown cock hackle, four or five turns; leave short tip erect if you wish.
* Make neat head, varnish as usual.
* Clip V-shaped gap in lower side of hackles.
* Soak in floatant.

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