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Fly Tying Patterns

DHE

Pattern by Bob Wyatt

Hook:	Light wire, curved shank emerger style hook
Wing:	Medium to fine deer hair. Colour and shade according to naturals and light conditions (white or black for hi-viz versions)
Abdomen:	Natural fur; fine underfur for ephemerids, bulky hare’s mask and/or seal’s fur for sedge pupae. Colour mix as appropriate
Rib:	Tying thread tag.
Thorax:	Spiky hare’s mask, from front of face

Tie in a bunch of fine to medium deer hair, well back from the eye of the hook. Wrap down the hair butts and take thread around the hook bend, leaving a long tag of thread for the rib.

Dub tying thread and wrap to wing. Bring tag end up in a counter-wrapped rib, tied in ahead of wing.

Take tying thread to hook eye and dub with spiky hare’s mask. Wind dubbing back to wing base, forcing wing into upright attitude, then return to eye with two turns through dubbing – binding and flaring the hare’s fibres. Whip finish.

Important tips:

This fly usually requires floatant, such as Gink, especially in fast water. For the DHE to fish correctly, apply floatant only to wing and thorax, avoiding the abdomen and hook, which must sink.

Watch the proportions of the wing when tying. The hook will normally keel the fly, but a too tall wing might topple it onto its side, especially if the abdomen is of a bulky buoyant material, or you get floatant onto the hook and abdomen.

For better floatation in fast water, flare the deer hair Compara-Dun style.

Bob Wyatt is a regular contributor to Fly Fishing & Fly Tying magazine, Britain's magazine for the progressive game angler and fly tyer.