Close Carpet Fly (Brown Drake)
Notes: A Brown Drake (Ephemera simulans) imitation originated by George Close to fill the need for a flush floating Brown Drake imitation on Wisconsin's Wolf River. The thorax is antron carpet fibers which acts as "pseudo-hackle". Wrap thread to the bend and back to the 30% mark. Coat shank with flexament. Select a clump of fine tipped deer hair that will become the tail and abdomen. Do not stack and tie it in. Work your way back to the gap, it should take 4-6 wraps to reach the bend. Do not use too much thread pressure or the tail will flare. Wrap back to the tie in point forming "X" markings along the back. Tie in a wing compara dun style, trim the butts but not too close as they aid in floatation. Starting from behind the wing, form a dubbing loop. Take a brown section of antron carpet and cut out a 1/2 to 3/4 inch section. Tease the fibers so they are parallel and put them in the loop. Spin the loop and wind twice behind the wing and 3-4 times in front of the wing. Tie off, trim off the dubbing loop, and form a thread head. Cement the head. The fly floats low and only the wing should be treated. The antron fibers provide bulk and sparkle. Antron is a super-trigger. A great fly for the brown drake but tied in white it is my best White Fly imitation. Also works for Mahogony duns, March Browns and you can vary the tread and hair color for other larger maflies.