Jassid
Fly of the Month
Leafhoppers and treehoppers are small terrestrial insects that spend much of their adult life in bushes and trees, well protected by their own camouflage. When they are knocked off by encounters with other creatures in the wild or by the wind, they become a tiny surface-food. Trout and grayling only need to open their mouth to a narrow slot and sip the high protein meal in. If an angler presents them with a fly with a broad hackle – then they can’t suck it in through their narrow mouth.
Jassid
The Jassid fly pattern solves this problem by having a palmered body that is trimmed to a small size. The Jassid was intended to represent a leafhopper or treehopper but can also represent lots of small trout foods, including mayflies, caddisflies, midges, and terrestrials. The Simple form and sharp profile also suggest a small beetle equally well. The fly was originated by Vincent Marinaro and first appeared in 1950 in his A Modern Dry Fly Code book as part of his “Ring of the Rise” presentation dealing with highly selective brown trout in a spring creek. The Jassid was first tested on the fabled waters of the Letort Spring Run in Pennsylvania where over the years it has fooled some of the most selective wild browns.
The Jassid is not found in fly shop bins due to the expense of tying the fly pattern. The original fly pattern recipe uses a jungle cock “nail” feather for the wing. At one time, jungle cock was used primarily for the eye components of a salmon fly pattern and much too expensive for the average fly tyer to afford. Thus, there are jungle cock substitutes made of printed acetate, mylar or vinyl. These substitutes have the look of the jungle cock and work well for a substitute on a salmon fly pattern as eyes. However, these jungle cock substitutes do not make for a descent wing for a Jassid fly pattern.
A quick review on several fly-tying forums all recommend either use the more expensive jungle cock or use a quail or partridge feather of comparable size to a jungle cock “nail” that is treated with a clear coating for a slight stiffness.
“One of the more troublesome problems connected with the smallest of imitations, particularly this one, is the matter of eliminating the light pattern, something which is incompatible with the appearance of these tiny creatures on the surface film. Hooks of the finest wire and good temper are an invaluable aid, thinly built bodies are another, and wings tied flat over the thin bodies supply the requisite impression of bulk since trout cannot see things in three-dimensional terms anyway unless they are gifted with the power of imagination. In addition to these aids, I have suggested the use of hackle to obtain the maximum support with the fewest of fibres, accomplished by tying in at the bend of the hook and turning in the manner of ribbing hackle, making one complete turn at the bend, a half turn a the middle of the body, and one complete turn of the head, or 2 ½ turns in all. It is an effective method and helps to make them ride very lightly with a minimum of disturbance to the surface film.” – Vince Marinaro
Jassid
Fly of the Month 9.18
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
Jassid
"One of the more troublesome problems connected with the smallest of imitations, particularly this one, is the matter of eliminating the light pattern, something which is incompatible with the appearance of these tiny creatures on the surface film. Hooks of the finest wire and good temper are an invaluable aid, thinly built bodies are another, and wings tied flat over the thin bodies supply the requisite impression of bulk since trout cannot see things in three-dimensional terms anyway unless they are gifted with the power of imagination. In addition to these aids, I have suggested the use of hackle to obtain the maximum support with the fewest of fibres, accomplished by tying in at the bend of the hook and turning in the manner of ribbing hackle, making one complete turn at the bend, a half turn at the middle of the body, and one complete turn of the head, or 2 1/2 turns in all. It is an effective method and helps to make them ride very lightly with a minimum of disturbance to the surface film." ~ Vince Marinaro
Credits: Excerpt from A Modern Dry-Fly Code by Vincent C. Marinaro, republished by Lyons Press.
Recipe :
Hook : Light Dry, size 28,26,24,22,20,18,16
Thread : Black 8/0
Body : Thread
Hackle : Black Rooster
Wing : Jungle Cock
Directions :
"One of the more troublesome problems connected with the smallest of imitations, particularly this one, is the matter of eliminating the light pattern, something which is incompatible with the appearance of these tiny creatures on the surface film. Hooks of the finest wire and good temper are an invaluable aid, thinly built bodies are another, and wings tied flat over the thin bodies supply the requisite impression of bulk since trout cannot see things in three-dimensional terms anyway unless they are gifted with the power of imagination. In addition to these aids, I have suggested the use of hackle to obtain the maximum support with the fewest of fibres, accomplished by tying in at the bend of the hook and turning in the manner of ribbing hackle, making one complete turn at the bend, a half turn at the middle of the body, and one complete turn of the head, or 2 1/2 turns in all. It is an effective method and helps to make them ride very lightly with a minimum of disturbance to the surface film." ~ Vince Marinaro
Credits: Excerpt from A Modern Dry-Fly Code by Vincent C. Marinaro, republished by Lyons Press.
Recipe :
Hook : Light Dry, size 28,26,24,22,20,18,16
Thread : Black 8/0
Body : Thread
Hackle : Black Rooster
Wing : Jungle Cock
Directions :
- Debarb and mount the hook in the vise. Start thread at hook eye and advance to the bend in even touching turns. Let the bobbin hang.
- Select a rooster hackle and strip one quarter inch of barbs from the stem. Tie in on top of the hook shank and after trimming the stem as needed cover any exposed stem. Make one or two additional rotations of the thread to build the body, only slightly. Let the bobbin hang.
- Make two and no more than three wraps of hackle forward (see the intro note per Vincent Marinaro) to the thread. Tie off and trim any waste. Let the bobbin hang.
- Select an appropriate size jungle cock feather. Bear in mind it does not need to be the very best feather or you can use the imitation and strip the barbs leaving the eye only. Tie in by the tip.
- Make a small thread head and coat with glossy head cement of choice.