Mike Lawson's No Hackle

[Conehead]

Has anyone out there perfected Mike Lawson's No Hackle technique? I got a video just to see how he ties it, and I'll be danged if I can do it. I have wasted a lot of mallard quills trying to get the technique down, but come up with strange looking wings. Is there another trick that someone has figured out? I've fished his No Hackles on the Henry's and here on the Provo, and they're great flies. I just don't have the budget to drive up to his flyshop, and fork out the big bucks for his bugs everytime I run out.

[Larry S.]

I remember seeing them in Angler's Inn in Sugar House several years ago. Maybe they still have some.

[Ouzel]

Where might I find an illustration of this fly?

[Salmo]

Try Swisher and Richard"s "Flyfishing Stategy" or "Tying Dry Flies" by Randall Kaufmann. This fly is not as hard to tie as it seems. Kaufmann's book really helps simplify tying the wings.

[Larry S.]

Go to umpqua.com and under the "Fly Gallery" type in "no hackle" in the "Text Search". Then take your pick of the thumbnails.

[Ouzel]

I may not be of much help to you as I can not see anything "tricky" in tying the fly. It seems to be a feather wing style of a comparadun which both have their roots in the older Haystack originated by Fran Betters in 1949.
My only suggestion is when I am stumped and a fly is not turning out the as it should I reread and reread until I discover what it is that I was overlooking. And I do know I was overlooking something because if I was'nt the fly would turn out properly.
So I can only suggest you review the video section that illustrates the wings until you discover what point (words) were not getting through to you. It's there and I'm confident you'll find it!
The only other thing I can suggest is tie up some Haystacks of various colors and go fishing. They are an easy tie and have worked for a long time. That is why people are still imitating them.
Salmo: thanks for the titles, Larry's way was quicker.

[Larry S.]

I'm sure Mr. Lawson "wasted" a lot of quills before he got the pattern down too. I have watched the video and seen the pictures in Kauffman's book(very detailed diagrams) but still have not attempted it. That's why I got a few at Angler's Inn and more up in Island Park. I have used a couple but haven't caught anything on them yet. I paid about 2 bucks a piece for them. That's probably why I still have them. They're too purrty to look at. Like RAW's Foam Hoppers. Don't want to lose them.

[Curtis Fry]

Conehead,
It took me a good amount of flies (and wasted quills) to finally get decent looking no-hackle wings. The instructions I've seen recommend holding both wings to the hook and basically making a soft loop over your fingers and then pull the thread down onto the wings and hook. That works Ok, but I've had better luck doing the wings one at a time. I just give the first wrap a nice soft loop and then tie in a couple more progressively tighter wraps for each wing. Then I pull the wings forward and spread them out a bit. You'll also want to treat the quill tips with some type of sticky stuff (glue, nail polish, hair spray etc) to hold the wings together.

Anyhoo...I think, though, after fishing no-hackles for several years now, that I can say "who cares how they look". After two casts the fly is shreds anyway. Those quills are about the least durable wing material out there. Plus after hooking a fish it's even worse. But, you'll still catch fish on the nasty looking versions. So my advice: Don't worry too much about how your wings look. The fish don't care too much. Just keep practicing and eventually you'll get it. Those flies are my # 1 mayfly dun pattern. I'll fish those during hatch "down times" and still get fish to rise to them. Plus before and after the hatch you can drown the no-hackles and use them for emergers or nymphs. Versatile.

If you're ever in my neck of the woods (Cedar Hills near the mouth of AF canyon), feel free to stop by and I'll show you how I do it.

Fishon!!

Curtis Fry

[Larry S.]

There is some tying instructions that differ from Mr. Lawson's at www.jbowen.net/nohackle.html James is a tier from Idaho Falls.