Furled Damsel
Originator: Ken Hanley, Fly: Ken Hanley, Photograph: Hans Weilenmann
Hook: Straight eye, 3X long curved shank, #12 - #10 (Tiemco TMC 200R, Daiichi 1270)
Thread: Olive or tan #8/0
Extended abdomen and Body: Furled Antron, olive or tan, approx 1 ½ hook lengths. Other variations can be created by combining two colors in the furling process: cream/tan, olive/tan
Optics (optional): Black or Olive, monofilament nymph eyes, small
Head and Wing: Relaxed Antron fibers, same color (actually the same piece) as the furled extension, folded back over the top, whip finish and cement. Trim the wings to custom size.
Note #1: The fly is created from one piece of furled Antron. It represents the most vulnerable stage of the Damselfly. This young adult has just emerged from its nymphal case and final molt. Its wings are not yet fully developed.

Generic imitation for our “Narrow-Winged” Damsels (of which there are approx. 75 different species). Best represents the Genus Enallagma commonly called “Bluets”, and Genus Argia commonly known as “Dancers.” Typically range in size from 1 - 1 ¼ inches overall.

…Civil Bluet, Enallagma civile ; N. America (species with the widest distribution)

Note #2: I prefer to fish this pattern as a slow sinking sub-adult. On occasion I’m faced with a scenario that requires the damsel to float in the surface film… to achieve this I use some flies that were soaked in “Hydrostop” (Loon Outdoors Products). After tying a fly, I soak the pattern for a few moments in floatant, and then dry it completely before adding it to my field collection. If you’d rather not treat the fly with floatant, you could always add a small piece of foam atop the shank (just before you create the head and wings).

K. Hanley design (original created / 2005)


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© 2005 Hans Weilenmann
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