I have a real soft spot for trout patterns that originated in northern Michigan and this variation of the Borcher's Parachute is an obvious winner. When Todd of The Yooper Fly Life posted an image of this pattern on his Facebook page, I immediately asked if he'd do a step-by-step to share on T.F.M. Notice his recommendation that this can be tied in size 8 to size 24. You can get a ton of mileage out of this pattern, tied in various shades and colors, for your dry fly needs.
Some background from Todd... "Len Halladay’s Adams gets most of the accolades as the go to dark mayfly imitation
due to its national appeal and distribution, but locally in much of Michigan, Halladays home state,
and especially in northern Michigan centered around the Grayling area, it’s Ernie Borcher’s
parachute that reigns supreme.
Borcher’s
dark bodied standard and parachute imitations of turkey tail (formerly
condor) and moose are often the first choice of local guides and
recreational fishers when attempting to imitate any hatch from
Hendricksons, Brown Drakes, and Isos to the tiniest of Blue-Winged
Olives and midges.
The pattern is so effective and common in
northern Michigan fly boxes that I’ve found it often pays to have a few
that are just a little bit different from the norm when the six boats in
front of you are all throwing the standard fly shop version.
Actually, I got the idea from tying Jack Dennis’s Adams Para-Wulff, which also has a pearl rib, and have
had great success with this simple variation for a number of seasons now.
The
Sulky pearl tinsel is the key ingredient, and can be found at most
craft stores or online from the guys at Fly Fish Food. It is much
thinner than standard Krystal Flash and available spooled tinsels and is
very strong making it perfect of use on dry flies even down into midge sizes."
MATERIAL LIST/INSTRUCTIONS - CRYSTAL BORCHER'S PARACHUTE:Hook: Any Standard Wire Dry Fly - Sizes 8-24
Thread: Brown 6/0 (8/0 for smaller sizes)
Tail: Black Moose Body Hair
Dubbing: Brown Superfine or Other Fine Dry Fly Dubbing
Rib: Sulky Pearl Tinsel (Craft Store Score!)
Body: 3-4 Turkey Tail Fibers
Post: White Poly Yarn (I prefer McFlylon)
Hackle: Mixed Brown and Grizzly Neck or Saddle of Your Choice
Finish: Loon Water-Based Head Cement
STEP ONE - Place hook in vise and wrap brown thread base. (Size 10 Daiichi 1180 pictured)
STEP TWO - Measure tail to length of hook shank and tie in.
STEP THREE - Spin on small amount of brown dubbing for the underbody.
STEP FOUR - Tie in Sulky pearl tinsel for rib and three turkey tail fibers for body.
STEP FIVE - Wrap turkey tail forward to 2/3 of shank and counter rib with tinsel.
STEP SIX - Attach and post white poly wing.
STEP SEVEN - Tie in brown and grizzly hackles together on post.
STEP EIGHT - Finish thorax with more brown dubbing.
STEP NINE - Wrap hackles together and secure at base of post. (I like four turns/total of eight wraps)
STEP TEN - Trim hackle tips away, finish brown thread head at eye, trim post at length of shank, glue and "Go Fishing"!
Want to see more? Follow Todd on Facebook, Instagram, and through his YouTube channel.
https://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-yooper-fly-life-how-to-tie-crystal.html
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