Hawthorn fly

I've tied this hawthorn pattern for a few years; in fact it caught my first wild rainbow from the Wye some years back. Although it isn't a fly that I use very often it would be foolish not to have a couple lurking in the corner of my fly-box.

I feel the furled micro-dub chenille body represents the abdomen of the natural rather well, including the tiny hairs that cover it. A light smearing of floatant should stop it from becoming water-logged and keep it sitting in the surface film. I use foam to make the pronounced thorax and head. The wing, is tied a little differently; instead of being tied where the thorax and abdomen meet, it is pulled back through the foam, a couple of turns of hackle are wound around it, parachute style before it is pulled through. I use a coarse fishing baiting needle - with a latch on the end - to be pull the wing through. On this one, the wing exits the fly a little too high up the thorax for my liking, but I'm sure it'll make no difference. Knotted dyed pheasant tail makes the trailing back legs. 

And this is one from a few years ago tied on my old Thompson vice showing a much better wing placement. This is my benchmark.