Many of the most productive dry flies boast some form of an extended body.  The technique described below is just one more way to extend the body of your fly past the bend, without having to buy specialty Yorkshire style hooks.  This technique can be used on May fly spinners, grass hoppers, and even inch-worms.  All that is required is a small diameter sowing needle and some deer or elk hair.

Tying Extended Bodies:

1.  Secure a thin sewing needle in your vise with the point facing away from the jaws.  Start the thread about an inch away from the point by making several overlapping wraps.  Do not make the wraps too tight and do not trim the tag end of the thread.



2.  With the thread started, select a small bunch of deer or elk hair and tie in butt first, flaring the deer hair so that it covers the entire circumference of the sowing needle. Again remember not to make your wraps too tight - you want to be able to remove the needle later on.



3.  Continue to wind the thread forward with moderate pressure, tying down the deer hair along the shank of the needle.  Stop just before the needle point and apply a few half hitch knots as a precaution.



4.  Carefully trim away the excess deer hair, leaving a small buffer between the end of the deer hair and the point where your thread stopped.  If this buffer isn't created, the thread may slip off the end of the deer hair causing your extended body to unravel.



5.  Apply some yellow Super Fine dubbing to imitate the egg sac commonly observed on spinners.



6.  Tie in 2 to 4 (depending on the insect you are trying to imitate) Microfibetts as tailing material, one on each side of the egg sac.



7.  After tying in the tail, dub the rest of the body with olive Super Fine dubbing.  Stop about 1/16" before the end of the deer hair and tie in a few half hitch knots.  Cut the thread but leave about a 2" tag.  Gently "push" the extended body off of the needle only applying pressure from the side of the body closest to the vise.  If you attempt to pull the body off, you may cause the deer hair to rip, rendering the entire body useless.



8.  Secure a size 12-16 caddis / pupa style hook in the vise and start the thread.



9.  Place the extended body on top of the hook shank, almost directly above the barb.  Secure the excess deer hair as well as the 2 tags of thread hanging off the extended body and trim away any excess.



10.  Dub the same color olive Super Fine dubbing over the seam between the hook and the extended body.  Continue to dub to the half way point between the eye of the hook and the extended body.



11.  Tie in a matching grizzly olive dry fly hackle, slightly larger than usual, and bring the thread near the eye of the hook.



12.  Palmer the hackle forward, keeping it as dense as possible.  Tie off once the hackle is wound all the way to the eye of the hook.  Whip finish and apply head cement.



13.  Rotate the fly upside down in your vise and trim away any hackle fibers that stick out on the bottom of the fly.  This should result in a semi-circle profile of the hackle as shown below.




Written By: Nick Pujic, © Feb, 2004
Photographs By:  Nick Pujic © 2004
Dave Whitlock Illustration - Used with written permission - do not copy!