# extended body flies



## krc.humpy (Sep 17, 2007)

Do any of you use extended body mayflies? Or other extended body flies? Ive seen some pretty cool mayfly patterns but just wonder if they are worth the extra effort to tie them. It seems to me that they would not be very durable.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

I use a few extended bodies. One of the more common patterns I fish is an extended body damsel nymph -- it seems to give some extra realisism and action when the water is very clear and the fish are being selective. I've fished extended body PMDs and green drakes from time to time also.

The durability depends on the materials. For slightly bigger sizes and damsels especially, I use ultra chenille. Sometimes I wrap some marabou onto the end for a tail, but at times I just singe the tip for a taper. It is extremely durable. Some also use Larva Lace, and pull a few strands of ostrich hurl or marabou through the tube and out the tip with a wire hook. Again, almost indestructible. I have also used weaving to tie very durable extended bodies, although that method ends up taking more time.

Example of one of mine: download/file.php?id=1791&mode=view

I keep extended patterns in my fly books but don't generally fish them as go-to patterns. I take the impressionistic route on the front end, and will drift towards more realistic imitations if the fish are picky.


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

I tie and fish an extended body green Drake/Flav cripple and dun. They seem to work well for me.


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

Lawsons paradrake is a good one. The trouts teeth tear up the elkhair after a number of fish but that is nothing to get down about :wink:


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

I've used extended-body mayflies like the ones on this blog over the years. They've been great. http://www.troutseeker.blogspot.com


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Hareline dubbin makes some excellent extended bodies. They are the ones used on the extended body parachute mayflies by Solitude fly company. I would shy away from the ones by Rainy's. Rainys makes some excellent stuff for tying as well as very good flies, but the bodies are hideous.


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## krc.humpy (Sep 17, 2007)

Is there tying instructions for any of those flies on that blog? I have been experimenting with the twisted foam to do that hopper and cant seem to get the twists that tight. Also just tried Rainys hopper and like it quite a bit. That extended body looks good too. There is an extended body CDC mayfly in Fr&r this issue and it looks pretty cool but from the directions it does not look like it would hold up to more than a few catches and looks more time consuming than most flies.


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## FlyRx (Jun 10, 2008)

I like to make extended body mayflies using a hackle feather and a glue called Softex. Softex has the ability to be flexible after drying. Take a hackle feather, and preen back the barbs against the grain so to speak, opposite of what they naturally lay. An inch or so usually does it. Add softex to it to make it stay in place, this makes the extended body. Now, on the opposite side, (the fibers that haven't been pulled back) cut out the center fibers, leaving the outer couple to make a divided tail. Tie in the appropriate length at or near the parachute part of the fly, and there is your extended body mayfly. Just remember that hook size may not dictate what size your fly will be. The size of the hackle feather, how wide the hackle is, and how much length you use will determine the size of the bug. You can tie a bigger fly on a smaller hook, if that is what you want. I like to have a couple when singling out a picky fish. It's nice to have something else to throw, after getting rejections on standard patterns. A picture at this point would be really helpful, maybe I can get one and post it soon. Maybe I can tie one up and send it to someone who can.

Here is a link to Softex,

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/store ... rchResults

It claims it takes an hour to dry, but on this very thin application just a couple of minutes. I need a camera that takes pictures of small things. Hope this helps


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