The Complete Fisher Forum

[Fryfishing]

After quite a few years of tying and fishing the Little Devil I have always wondered why the bib at the front and not a few turns of hackle. Once the fly is wet the bib disappears into the dressing and seems to serve no purpose.
I know Wylye ties them with a hackle rather than the bib, so this year I started to tie them with two turns or more of hackle. Results in fish captures are unaffected and maybe better, but that just could be fishing conditions at the moment.
At first I thought it maybe a hackle would obscure any wing buds that are added, although I think the original did not have fancy adornments at the front end, but fishing the fly with a hackle the wing buds show through.

I guess it is the combination of peacock herl, tail and rib that make it such a winner rather than bib or hackle.
P
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[BristolFlyer]

I’ve wondered the same thing , but the DB has been such a successful pattern for me that I don't want to mess with a successful recipe. Saying that I also tie a DB/Cruncher hybrid which a basically a DB with a hackle as you describe and a thin holo rib. Used on the top dropper it can work well sometimes but the fish will usually prefer the DB if both on same cast.

[wylye]

Quite a few years ago I decided that the beard hackle hanging down under the DB just looked wrong and in my eyes added nothing to the effectiveness of the fly. I started tying them with 2-3 turns of red game hen hackle and to me they just look right. That amount of hackle doesn't hide any of the other materials such as JC or goose biots.

Beard hackles only look good if there is a wing tied on top of the hook shank, and even there I'd rather have a wound hackle. Dave Collyer used to tie his wet flies with a beard hackle back in the 1970's and I followed suit back then because it was easier and quicker.

[Allrounder]

Some of the top Bristol rods say they have dispensed with the hackle altogether and they find it just as effective. Whether that makes it a Diawl Bach variant or a Buzzer variant is a moot point.

Alan
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[tenet]

Whether you think it fishes better with a hackle or without a hackle your probably right. All down to confidence in what your fishing with.
I must say that it is one of the most successful flies in our armoury and I for one would never be without in its various guises.

[Fryfishing]

In the past when I was a regular visitor to Ireland for course fishing and the target was for bream and roach/bream hybrids the bait that was always recommended was red maggot. I started to call it "Red Maggot Syndrome" because everyone caught on red maggot because everyone used it BUT white maggot, worms and bread also worked

I do wonder if the D.B is a similar situation, that said it is a killer fly and I also catch a lot of fish with it. Mr Cottis always talks of slim minimal body material flies and when I had a day out with him the flies he tied on were not D.Bs but a representation of them
I plan to continue my trial of with a hackle and see what happens although there are a lot of traditionally tied D.Bs already in my fly box which will be used.
P
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Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

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[JCP]

Quote: THE HIGHLANDER ''There Can Only Be One'' Then there are a plethora of hybrids and we all have our favourites and they all seem to have their day . Anorexic when the buzzers are up and a little chubbier when corixa,shrimps.hoglouse/snails are on the menu.

JP

[fossil-fish]

I tie them both ways but consider it to be a Cruncher when tied with a wound hackle. Both catch but I would definitely say on most days the standard tying out fishes the wound hackle. No idea why, as I also think it looks better with a proper hackle, but it definitely seems to for me.
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[Fryfishing]

Fishing is hard to work out sometimes.

For the last few weeks the trout have been all over a D.B with a red head and maybe a red rib but on Tuesday this week they were not interested ???

So then a bright day, no cloud and nothing rising they decided they wanted my mangled version of a red shipmans/big red on a top droppers only a couple of feet from the fly line????

I then tied on a reliable PTN pattern on the point and despite not a pull for at least two hours, first cast it was two fish on at the same time????

At Farmoor when bank fishing it is noticeable how fish come along in pods as they move along the bank against the wind so you have to make the most of them as they pass by and working out depth is quite key.
I guess that why we go fishing as it is so unpredictable and exercises the "Little Grey Cells"
P
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Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

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