 FLY
OF THE MONTH
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KAPOK
EMERGER
By Luca Montanari
Ephemera
nymphs swim just under the river surface,
ready to make their last metamorphosis
into winged insects. In order to keep
their balance under the surface and facilitate
the rising during hatching, they produce
small gaseous bubbles inside of their
bodies. The insect abdomen appears translucent,
nearly evanescent, when the ephemera
makes itself free from its juvenile dress.
The up-wing, which is crossing the culminating
phase of its emerging stage, can be imitated
by all artificials that keep air within
their tissue and that do not have a well-defined
shape. For this reason, many emergers
are realised with dubbing of hairs or
fibres. Due to their fineness and water-repellent
properties, some materials are better
suited for the creation of these flies
than others, enhancing the similarity
to the real ephemera, such as kapok and
opossum hair.
Patterns
which have the body tied with kapok and
the wing built with opossum hair belong
to this group of very imitative emergers,
such as the fly showed in the photo.
This fly was elaborated by me to imitate
a particular Baetis of ochre yellow colour
that I appreciate for the good buoyancy
characteristic of its wings. Such quality
renders the Kapok Emerger, which is the
name of my artificial, very suitable
for fishing on the more turbulent and
fast rivers: places where I often do
not want my fly to sink completely to
induce the fish to make a rise for it
and let me do a well-timed strike.
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Materials List: |
Hooks: |
Mustad
ref # 80050 size 18 to 14 |
Thread: |
Beige |
Abdomen: |
Kapok
dyed ochre yellow |
Ribbing: |
Natural
red cock hackle quill |
Tail: |
Partridge
hackle fibres |
Thorax: |
Hare
hair |
Elytrums and wing tuft: |
Opossum
hair dyed
pale brown, or natural grey |
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Tying
instructions: |
Step
1:
I
start the first step of the Kapok Emerger building
by inserting the hook into the vice jay and then
wind the beige thread onto the shank. Next I secure,
over the bend, a tuft of partridge hackle fibres,
placing it in order to represent the tails, and the
tip of a natural red cock hackle stem. |
Photos
and fly by Luca Montanari
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Step
2:
I
wax a section of thread and distribute a pinch
of dyed ochre yellow kapok over it. With the
thumb and the index finger of my right hand,
I compact the dubbing and wrap it along the
two rear thirds of the hook shank to make the
abdomen. |
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Step
3:
With
wide turns of the hackle stem around the body, I realise
the ribbing.
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Step
4:
From
the dyed pale brown, or grey natural, opossum fur, I take
a consistent tuft of hairs and tie it in at the front edge
of the abdomen, arranging it so that the hair tips extend
backwards for a length equivalent to the double of the
hook shank.
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Step
5:
Using
the dubbing spinner, I form a loop with the beige thread
and I insert in it a pinch of hare hair. Next, I make a
few turns of the dubbing spinner, in order to form a downy
rope, and I wrap it around the front third section of the
hook shank in order to create a robust thorax. |
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Step
6:
I
push the opossum hair tuft forwards, placing it to cover
the upper part of the thorax, and I secure it just behind
the hook eye. |
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Step 7:
I
now realise the fly head with a few turns of the beige
thread, which is finished with a whip-finish.
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Step
8:
I
complete the last step of the Kapok Emerger building by
distributing a small drop of clear glue on the head, in
order to make the fly more durable and able to resist many
battles on the river. |
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Luca
Montanari |
