The DC Kripple

This is the first fly design for Nik Wright of Deer Creek (www.deercreek.co.uk), menu as follows:

Hook: TMC 200R #20
Thread: Sheer 14/0
Shuck: Niche Shuck Yarn
Tailing: Olive microfibbets, curled between thumb and forefinger
Rib: Uni-mylar pearl #16
Abdomen: Natural turkey biot (hard as nails applied before wrapping)
Wings: Blend of white and grey (with a few strands of black) Niche siliconised polypropylene yarn
Thorax: Fly-rite #10 (BWO)

This is essentially a crippled, olive emerger tied to imitate the natural in it's most vulnerable state - a mess of shuck, tails, legs and wings. I have observed stuck-in-the-shuck emergers and many patterns are just-pre or just-post emergent, rather than capturing that point when nature is a trapped in a highly vulnerable state of morphosis.

The pattern includes a small trailing shuck but also three tails, curled between thumb and forefinger to imitate the new, yet-to-dry tails. The biot body is ribbed with fine pearl mylar to further imitate the emergence of the adult and the siliconised poly yarn wings are tied back and up to reinforce the emergent phase, whilst offering superb floatation.

I should also mention the sources of inspiration. Mick Hall (www.kossiedun.com.au) is running a thread on the www.sexyloops.com forum where he presents amazing macro photography of native Australian naturals and invites tiers to imitate them. He posted an awesome image of a mid-emergent natural, literally trapped in it's own morphosis - and pretty tricky to imitate. The DC Kripple isn't a direct imitation of the natural (Roy Christie nailed that with a breathtaking copper wire hare's ear design and his legendary reversed parachute emerger, sign-up and check out the post!) more it is a fly that captures the key triggers of this phase of the life-cycle, with a pattern that's covers most small olive hatches.

So big THANKS to Mick and Roy for the inspiration... and to Nik Wright for sharing my enthusiasm for the DC Kripple.

This level of skill takes decades of tying and on-the-water experience... images reproduced with kind permission of Mick Hall (www.kossiedun.com.au) and Roy Christie.