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Tying the Delaware Fox
The Delaware Fox is by far the most successful dry fly pattern I have fished on the main
stem of the Upper Delaware River.
When I established the Indian Springs "Corker Club" in 1993 there were two attractor
patterns that caught the most fish 18" or better....The Ausable Wulff and Parachute
Adams. The following year I combined the color and styles of each pattern and developed
what I then called the Delaware Wulff. This fly featured a white deer hair wing, parachute
grizzly and ginger hackle and the rust body of the Ausable Wulff. Although I had good
fishing success with the fly I did not like the clumsy way the fly was presented. I decided to
re-designed the fly and substituted poly for the wing. The body color was also slightly
modified to conform more with the natural colors of many larger stone and mayfly insects
that hatch in May and early June.
The Delaware Fox soon became the choice fly of Indian Springs and caught more trout
than any other pattern.
The tying steps are as follows:
1 - Tail; mixture of grizzly and medium or dark ginger hackle tied on #10 or 12; 2x long hook
2 - Wing; medium or dark gray poly tied high and as a single post
3 - Body; 50% mixture of yellow and orange rabbit fur blended (produces a golden color)
4 - Hackle; one each of grizzly and medium or dark ginger hackle wrapped parachute style
It is this fly that I use as my go-to pattern when all else fails. Although considered an
attractor pattern It does represent the color and size of the March brown/Grey Fox, etc.
and can be mistaken for a golden stone adult during peak conditions.
Tie it and try it and let me know how it works.
Lee Hartman
stem of the Upper Delaware River.
When I established the Indian Springs "Corker Club" in 1993 there were two attractor
patterns that caught the most fish 18" or better....The Ausable Wulff and Parachute
Adams. The following year I combined the color and styles of each pattern and developed
what I then called the Delaware Wulff. This fly featured a white deer hair wing, parachute
grizzly and ginger hackle and the rust body of the Ausable Wulff. Although I had good
fishing success with the fly I did not like the clumsy way the fly was presented. I decided to
re-designed the fly and substituted poly for the wing. The body color was also slightly
modified to conform more with the natural colors of many larger stone and mayfly insects
that hatch in May and early June.
The Delaware Fox soon became the choice fly of Indian Springs and caught more trout
than any other pattern.
The tying steps are as follows:
1 - Tail; mixture of grizzly and medium or dark ginger hackle tied on #10 or 12; 2x long hook
2 - Wing; medium or dark gray poly tied high and as a single post
3 - Body; 50% mixture of yellow and orange rabbit fur blended (produces a golden color)
4 - Hackle; one each of grizzly and medium or dark ginger hackle wrapped parachute style
It is this fly that I use as my go-to pattern when all else fails. Although considered an
attractor pattern It does represent the color and size of the March brown/Grey Fox, etc.
and can be mistaken for a golden stone adult during peak conditions.
Tie it and try it and let me know how it works.
Lee Hartman