The Klinkhamer was originally designed by Hans Van Klinken to copy the fly emerging from its shuck as it made the change to a flying insect. There are ‘puritans’ among us who refuse to accept this fly as a true dry fly because the fly has not been airborne. To those of us who just enjoy fly fishing it is a dry fly which often doubles up as a support or sight fly with a nymph attached New Zealand style underneath.It is not the easiest of flies to tie but is well worth persevering with.
There are several ways of tying this fly, all based on using a yarn post to achieve a horizontal hackle which looks like a parachute. The hook used is a lightweight buzzer hook. I use Kamasan KB100s sizes 10 and 12.I hope you will find the lesson easy to follow. You can use exactly the same technique to tie parachute dry flies, on which you use a straight hook with tail fibres to keep the tail end up in the water.
Hopefully this satisfies the purists. I use Kamasan KB400s. For both of these patterns you will find that the better the quality of the hackle the better it floats. If you prefer to dub the body keep it as sparse as possible, it stops the fly getting waterlogged. Give it a try and let me know how you get on.
Materials
- Hook Kamasan B100 ( or similar ) sizes 10, 12 or 14 if you are brave.
- Thread Sparton Micro black (or similar).
- Rib optional fine silver wire.
- Dubbing Hare or Possum body fur.
- Hackle best quality cock hackles you can afford.
- Wing Post Egg yarn or white calf tail.
Dave C. and The Team
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hi david,
i’ve been dying to see how to tie pike and bass fly patterns … can you make a video showing how to tie them keep up with the vidoes
hope ypu can tie one
Sincerely ,
matt (canada)
Hi Matt
Thanks for letting us know how much you appreciate our efforts.
We are trying to improve all the time now that Jon has got a better video camera.
I will be away for a month but keep watching
Happy Fishing
Dave C. and the Team
thank you for replying to my message mr.cammiss ill keep tying and getting better with your videos … hope that jon gets that new camera.
thank you for all the didication you put into this.
Sincerly matt , canada says hello david!
Hi Dave and the Team,
Thanks very much for your videos, I am now getting the materials together to have a go myself, hopefully in the next 2 weeks.
To JJ if you subscibe to topflyman on Youtube everytime a new video comes out you will be informed by email.
Hope you have a great time in NZ, beautiful country.
Thanks again, Paul
hi dave,
it s matt im 12 years old and i want to learn how you do your double half hitches … can you make a video when you get back from NZ trip to show how to knot the double half hitches?? if not just tell me
thanks sincerly matt , canada
hi dave,
i have been tying flys for some time now and i just happened on your web site today. let me congratulate you on the way you make everthing seem so simple. i sat for an hour watching your videos and i must say i learned a few new patterns.
keep up the good work.
ian
Hi Ian
Thanks for your comments. We will keep on plodding away until I run out of hooks.
Regards
Dave C and the Team
Thank you Dave and team for your site, time and skill to teach us beginners.I just can’t stop tying or thinking about the next fly. Please try to show me the may fly when you can.
Im Hooked
Billy
Superb just starting fly tying.
Hi Dean
Good to know you find the vids helpful. More to come.
Happy Fishing
DaveC. and the Team
Finally caught a fish on a fly that i have tied myself at last, did not have the motivation until i found your site ,keep up the good work
jim macdougall
Hi Jim
Thanks for your comment. There is nothing to match the satisfaction of catching a trout on a fly you have tied yourself. I hope this one is only the first of many.
We also get a kick out of getting others started. Well done.
Happy fishing
DaveC.and the Team
Hi Dave return to fishing a few years ago and started doing the lot course.deep sea,beach casting but my love is the fly rod. Only then does the fish have a chance.I would love to see more people take up the fly rod rather than spin for trout or salmon .Six months ago I started tying my own flies after buying two kits and as much capes and skins as I could get my hand on and many books such as the Bible and Fly Tying by Peter Gathercole and Pat O’Reilly & Derek Hoskin .Books is one thing but what you are doing is great taking the time to show a step by step of this art and skill that should be past on.You woulden do a could of salmon flies or tube flies Iam mad to move on too them.One fly I like to try is a fly call the muragha its a Irish mountain fly that hatches 1st week in June after the May fly pending wheather and always hatchs at dust in wild mountain lakes and swins to ashore with a large wave behine it.The big brownies come up after them for about 45 minutes its magic dry fly fishing and good on the nerves. Muragha is Irish for sage and the fly is tied with pheasant tail ,wings .olived dubbing ,deer hair .Please guys release the wild fish back again and save stocks and stop spinning for them (BRING BACK THE FLY) guys put back the wild salmon remember you did’nt catch it it caught you. Keep up the good work dave and tight lines & screeming reels Frank
Hi Frank
Thanks for your comments and your obvious passion on saving the salmon. It would be too much to expect everyone to agree with you. It is not only anglers, they account for only a small proportion of fish. It is the seals in the estuaries that do the most damage, and everyone loves the seal! The cormorants take their share of the parr and smolts and then the poor sods have to take their chances in the ocean….but they survive. It will be a momentous day when the bubble bursts(if ever) on salmon farming.
I can find no referenceto your salmon fly the Muragha.
More vids to follow
Happy Fishing
Dave C. and the Team
hi Dave and once again thanks for the great fly tying lessons i have at last successfully tied a klinkhamer and caught a fish on it thanks to your step by step guide
just a note that might be of interest i was fishing on the lake on Monday very early almost first light and noticed that the trout were rising too and taking small black midge of the top i presented what i thought was an exact copy and would you believe it although they showed some interest in it coming up having a look and then turning away not one trout would take the fly i then changed to a lighter colored midge and low and behold three takes one after another ,what ever happened to the art of entomology
anyway Dave and the team thanks once again for taking the time and the effort in producing these excellent fly tying lessons and keep up the good work
An excellent site/ blog very informative really takes the mystery out of tying flys and they look great , I will be following your instructions carefully. many thanks lofty
Hi Lofty
Thanks for your comments. Tying flies is like riding a bike…..once you get the feel of it everything gets easy.
Happy fishing
DaveC.and the Team
Awsome! I recomend use of synthetic dubbing.
Nick
Hi Nick
Thanks for your comment
I do use quite a lot of synthetic dubbing, particularly the fluorescents which I add sparsely to dyed rabbit and seals fur. If you want a really good sub. for hares ear try possum……it is brill and dubs well.
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
Hi Dave,
Just had a go at this one (The Klinkhamer) and had great fun tying it. The only thing is I had no Egg Yarn as trying to get our tackle shops in North Devon to buy it is like getting blood out of a stone, so instead, I used bright orange knitting wool and used a stick with hook & loop on to thread it all out (Like you did on the tail of the baby Doll Fly. Didnt think it would work but it floats really well. Cheers for the great work you and your Team do, I keep trying all your flies and will keep doing so. Many Thanks, Phil.
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