Michigan Flies

Flies / Dry fly

Borchers Parachute

A

Ernie Borchers, Grayling (Au Sable River)

Grayling's dark all-purpose mayfly, listed by Hawkins in #10 to #16 for Mahogany and Isonychia spinners. It doubles as a Hendrickson and Black Quill dun in spring and a fall Mahogany Dun on the Pere Marquette from mid September through October. Fish it at dusk for Iso spinner falls from June through September.

#10–16Dark turkey-quill body, brown hackleclear waterafternooneveningdusk
What the pattern looks like
Reference photos of the Borchers Parachute tied by others, shared by their photographers. Not our flies; our own product photos replace these as they are shot.

Photo © Quinn, used with permission

Season
Months this pattern is in play across Michigan, derived from what it imitates.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Imitates

The naturals

Fish it for
Brown troutBrook troutRainbow trout (resident)

Setups

  • Dry fly
How it's tied
A
Borcher's Drake Parachute (Borchers Special). Grayling's dark mayfly dry: a mottled turkey-quill body under a parachute hackle that passes for Hendricksons, Mahoganies, Brown Drakes and Isonychias on the Au Sable. Our own write-up of the standard tie, checked against the sources below. Recipe by Ted Kraimer, Current Works Guide Service.

Materials

Hook
TMC 100 or equivalent standard dry-fly hook, sizes 10-16
Thread
Camel, brown or black, 8/0 (traditional tie: black 6/0)
Tail
3-5 moose body hairs, tied long (about 1.5 shank lengths)Older dressings also list pheasant tail fibers
Rib
Extra-small copper wire, counter-wrapped
Body
Cinnamon-tip turkey tail fibers wound as a quill bodyErnie Borchers used condor quill; turkey is the modern substitute
Post
Hi-Vis, Para Post or poly yarnTraditional Catskill tie has blue dun hen hackle-tip wings instead
Thorax
Brown Superfine dubbing
Hackle
Grizzly dry-fly hackle, parachute styleThe original Special uses brown and grizzly mixed

Steps

  1. 1.Lay a thread base from behind the eye to a point above the barb.
  2. 2.Stack four or five moose body hairs and tie them in as a long tail, roughly one and a half shank lengths, binding the butts along the shank for a smooth underbody.
  3. 3.Tie in the copper wire at the tail so it trails behind.
  4. 4.Select four or five turkey tail fibers with cinnamon tips, tie them in by the tips at the tail, and wind them forward in touching turns for a mottled, tapered body, stopping about a third of the shank behind the eye.
  5. 5.Counter-wrap the wire through the body in evenly spaced turns to protect the quill, tie off and helicopter the tag off.
  6. 6.Tie in the post material at the front of the body, stand it up with a thread dam and wrap a short base up the post.
  7. 7.Tie a grizzly hackle in against the post with the stem running up the post base.
  8. 8.Dub a thorax around the post, slightly fuller than the body.
  9. 9.Wind the hackle down the post in four to six turns, secure it under the hackle in front of the post, trim the tip and whip finish without trapping barbs.

From the tier

  • Michigan history: Ernie Borchers (1903-1952), a Grayling guide who also ran a canoe livery, tied the Special on the Au Sable in the 1940s or early 1950s; the Grayling livery still carries his name.
  • Ted Kraimer of Current Works says the parachute version gives an excellent silhouette with everyday materials and covers several dark Michigan mayflies at once.
  • Au Sable guides on Troutnut report fishing it in sizes 14-18 through the Hendrickson and Little Mahogany hatches; Streamside in Grayling sells a #14 Borcher's Parachute tied by Jerry Regan.

How to tie Borcher's (Ernie Borcher) Drake Pattern Steps summarize Ted Kraimer's parachute tutorial; the traditional hackle-tip-wing dressing and history come from Trident and the Troutnut thread. Gates Lodge pages on Borchers were not reachable. Unconfirmed: Original tail material (moose mane vs pheasant tail) and exact date vary between accounts; the parachute is a later adaptation of Borchers's Catskill-style tie. Also checked against Stephen D'Angelo, Trident Fly Fishing (2022), How to Tie the Borcher's Special Dry Fly, The Northern Angler Fly Shop, Traverse City (2018), Borcher's Drake Parachute Tutorial, Troutnut forum, Borcher's Drake and Streamside Au Sable River Fly Fishing Guides, Borcher's Parachute Size 14.

Materials to buy
Everything one Borchers Parachute takes, each item once: 8 items, plus 1 optional. Quantities are for a single fly. We do not sell components yet; when we do, these will link to them.

Hook and hardware

  • Standard dry-fly hooks1 per fly

    sizes 10-16 · Tiemco

    Hook

Feathers and fur

  • Moose body hair1 patch

    Tail

  • Cinnamon-tip turkey tail feather1 feather (ties dozens)

    Body

  • Superfine dubbing1 packet

    brown

    Thorax

  • Grizzly dry-fly saddle or cape1 saddle

    Whiting

    Hackle

  • Brown dry-fly capeoptional1 cape

    Hackle

    For the mixed-hackle traditional Special

Synthetics, flash and legs

  • Para Post or Hi-Vis yarn1 card

    white

    Post

Thread and finish

  • Tying thread1 spool

    camel or brown, 8/0 · Uni

    Thread

Other

  • Ultra Wire1 spool

    copper, extra small · UTC

    Rib

Sources