Fly Tying Focus – Allan’s Seasonal Olive

Our Fly Tyers Row is going to be lined with some of the best Fly Tyers around and one such fly tyer is Allan Liddle. Allan will be at our Open Weekend representing Fly Fishing and Tying Magazine and we got the chance to talk to him about some early season patterns, specifically the Bob Wyatt’s Deer Hair Emerger.

With the season just around the corner, it’s time to stock up on my favourite dries and Bob Wyatt’s Deer Hair Emerger is right up there as my number one.

I like to have a few different versions with this one featuring a body with the rib set using dark brown thread over the olive thread to give a segmentation effect that looks very natural.

Bob’s original DHE features a thorax using Spiky Hare’s Mask dubbing brushed well out and it’s a style I still like to use, however he also as a more refined pattern called the Dirty Duster where he swaps out the deer hair wing for a grizzle hackle.

I often combine the two which can help me to see the pattern better as well as gives an effective buoyant pattern and I call my flies tied this way as Dirtier DHE’S. 

When fishing and DHE it’s important to just treat the wing and top of thorax with floatant gel and dampen the body to ensure it sits hook down half in and half on the water surface. Something our wild trout find so irresistible and can be devastatingly effective.