Skip to main content

The Klinkhåmer Special at 40: Still One of the Best

How to tie the classic deep-hanging emerger.

The Klinkhåmer Special at 40: Still One of the Best

The Klinkhåmer Special is one of the most effective–and a widely copied–emerger patterns in the world today. Its deep-hanging body resembles an emerging insect and the parachute hackle creates a realistic footprint in the water’s surface (inset). (Hans Van Klinken photo)

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.


This article originally appeared in the December 2006 issue of Fly Fisherman. Some dates have been change to reflect 2024.

It's been 40 years since my first Klinkhåmer Special landed in the surface film of Norway’s mighty Glomma River. Since then, I have read many articles on how to tie and fish the Klinkhåmer. Some were–excellent, but sometimes I was not able to recognize my own fly. I have seen it tied on straight hooks, and with tails, different wing materials, and completely different proportions than I originally intended. With so many variations of my original Klinkhåmer out there, it's no wonder I get phone calls, e-mails, and questions concerning how to tie a “real” Klinkhåmer Special.

Some people give me all the credit for the Klinkhåmer Special, but l was not the first or only one to come up with the idea of a parachute fly with a body that hangs well below the surface. Swedish fly tier Tomas Olsen created a similar pattern a year before I designed my first Klinkhåmer, and at about the same time in the United States, Roy Richardson independently developed his Equal Emerger. Mike Monroe created a similar fly–called the Paratilt–years before and published detailed tying and fishing instructions in the July/ August 1979 issue of Fly Fisherman. These other fly tiers deserve much credit for their creations.

I first called my fly the L.T. Caddis, but Hans de Groot and Ton Lindhout came up with the name Klinkhåmer Special and it has stuck ever since. Since then I have also seen it called (in Germany) the Nordischer Hammer or Klinki. I have seen publications in the United States call it the Clinck Hammer and I have seen and heard of Pinkhammers, Yellowhammers, Bluehammers, and many other types of Hammers.

A fly angler bending over, holding a lake trout above the water's surface.
The author and a lake trout taken by a Klinkhåmer Special. The Klinkhåmer also works on grayling and Atlantic salmon. (Hans Van Klinken photo)

A Better Parachute

A wonderful sedge imitation called the Rackelhanen was my inspiration for the Klinkhåmer Special. The Rackelhanen is still popular in Scandinavia, but this fly has never gotten the worldwide attention it deserves.

My first variations of the Rackelhanen did not always land wing-up as they should. Fish rose to them like crazy but I missed too many takes. To solve the problem, I wrapped a hackle around the wing post as I had seen in Eric Leiser's The Complete Book of Fly Tying (1977), and the result was my first parachute pattern. After this improvement, the flies floated the way I wanted, but this was not the only reason I stayed with parachute-style flies. Around the same time, I discovered that flies floating in the surface produced more fish than patterns drifting on top of the surface.

At that time, I still used shoulder hackle flies tied with a stiff tail made of hackle. I liked the way they floated high on the surface, making them easy to see. I loved to watch the grayling come up for them, but one day I noticed high-riding flies were often pushed aside–rather than swallowed–by the forward motion of aggressive grayling. The Klinkhåmer Special was my solution to this frustrating problem.

Because the heavy curved hook of my fly sits well below the surface film, the Klinkhåmer Special imitates all types of emerging mayflies and caddis. The appearance of an insect caught in or below the surface film makes a tempting target for trout and grayling, but the position of the hook also allows you to hook fish more frequently and securely. Even Atlantic salmon–notorious for merely bumping flies with their noses–are hooked more frequently with the Klinkhåmer than with traditional flies.

Fly fishing with parachutes offers other benefits. A well-tied parachute fly lands perfectly on the surface and also floats upright the entire drift. Because of the "iceberg effect" in which most of the mass of the Klinkhåmer Special is below the surface, the upper part of the fly is vertically stable. If tied correctly with the right materials, this fly floats through riffles and strong currents without tipping on its side or sinking.

The hackle wraps and parachute post of a Klinkhamer Special sitting on top of the water.
Use at least five turns of hackle to keep the heavy hook of the Klinkhamer Special afloat. A white wing post (above) is easiest to see when the sun is high. Use a dark wing post when there is glare on the water. (Hans Van Klinken photo)

Original Materials

There have been many changes in the fly-tying world over the past 40 years, but I still use the same materials today as I did when I first developed this fly. I have seen many variations, and have tried to make dozens of improvements myself, but none proved better or more effective than the original.

Hackle. Despite what some people say, you need the best hackle you can buy for parachute flies, and especially for the Klinkhåmer Special. I have read that leftover or low-grade hackle is ideal for parachutes but I totally disagree. A parachute fly floats in the surface because of stiff, balanced, and well-tied horizontal hackle. A tail can be helpful but isn't necessary. Poor-quality hackle has fewer contact points with the water, and the softer hackle fibers allow the fly to sink more easily. While you are casting, soft hackles also lose the horizontal shape that should keep the fly floating, and soon it becomes impossible to keep it on the surface.

Recommended


Klinkhåmer hackle made with just two or three hackle wraps does not work either. Sparse hackle dressings cannot hold the heavy hook of the Klinkhåmer Special near the surface. Depending on the size of the fly, you may have to make seven or eight turns of hackle or more, so a long hackle is extremely helpful. Oversized hackle–twice the length of the hook gap or more–works well on all parachute flies, and especially on the Klinkhåmer with its extra-heavy hook. In short, it is hard to over-hackle a Klinkhåmer Special. When I tie flies with a group of other tiers, and we put our Klinkhåmers together, mine always seem larger because of the hackle.

Wing post. If my long-distance eyesight were much better, I would use Tomas Olsen's melted-wing technique for most of my parachutes. Unfortunately, my eyesight is not perfect, so when I started to produce parachute flies, my first priority was to see and locate the fly easily in broken water. I searched for a wing material that was lighter than water, not slippery to tie with, and soft enough to allow me to pull the hackle stem deep into the material with each wrap. When you tie a lot of parachutes, you quickly notice that wing material, hackle, and tying thread have to cooperate in perfect harmony. The best materials I have found are Wapsi polypropylene yarn for #14 flies and larger, and Niche silicone yarn for #16 and smaller flies.

The Klinkhåmer Special is not a match-the-hatch fly, and I use whatever wing colors allow me to see the fly best on the water. Usually this means a white wing post, but sometimes a brown or other dark-colored wing post stands out against the glare on the surface. Some people successfully match the wing, hackle, and body colors to imitate their local insects. Wapsi poly yarn is available in many colors, but the Niche yarn comes in only four colors: white, brown, black, and gray. Some people use foam instead of yarn for the wing. Foam will help the fly float better but it can decrease the durability if not tied well. If you don't mind trout damaging the wing, and have no problem frequently changing flies, you should be happy with it. If you cut the foam right above the hackle, the foam expands and pushes the hackle fibers downward, which helps the fly float better.

I see many Klinkhåmers with a poly yarn wing post that is cut much too short. The wing should be the length of the hook shank or longer. A wing that is too long can easily be shortened later, but it can never be lengthened.

Underwater photo of a Klinkhamer Special hanging below the surface of the water.
The deep-hanging hook position of the Klinkhåmer Special allows you to hook fish more frequently and securely. Even Atlantic salmon are hooked more often with the Klinkhamer than with higher riding dry flies such as Bombers or Wulffs. (Hans Van Klinken photo)

Abdomen dubbing. I use two kinds of dubbing for my Klinkhåmers. For #14 and larger flies I use Extra Fine Poly Fly Rite dubbing. The beautiful solid and blended colors imitate any insect body. For #16 and smaller flies I use Wapsi Super Fine dubbing. It is much finer than Fly Rite and ideal for tiny creations.

I have seen many Klinkhåmers with enough dubbing for four or five flies. Slimmer bodies produce more fish. If after wrapping the abdomen you discover you were too generous attaching the dubbing to your thread, don't try to remove it or overbuild the body–just use the extra dubbing as the underbody for the thorax.

Peacock herl thorax. One of the most important elements of the Klinkhåmer Special is the noticeably enlarged thorax made from peacock herl. Peacock herl is notoriously fragile but you can twist it around your tying thread to improve its durability. You can also strengthen the thorax by pressing a drop of varnish into the base of the wing to secure the wing, thread, and thorax before you wrap the herl. You need a good varnish applicator and thin varnish to make this work perfectly every time. Peacock-colored dubbing works for the thorax as well, and while it may not look as nice, it is more durable.

Klinkhåmer hooks. I tied my first Klinkhåmer Special on a Partridge K2B, a wide-gap hook better known as the Yorkshire caddis hook. I wanted a straight eye, but wanted to keep the wide hook gap, so finally I created my own hooks for this pattern, the Partridge Klinkhåmer GRS15ST, 15BN, and 15BNX.

The most common mistake I see is that people don't use the right hooks for their Klinkhåmers. Many people write to me and tell me they have problems hooking fish with a Klinkhåmer Special. They get many strikes but miss a lot of fish. When I ask what kind of hook they use, it usually turns out they are using smaller nymph, scud, or caddis hooks, curved but with a small gap compared to the Partridge hooks I recommend. When you use a small hook, or a hook with a small gap, you greatly reduce your hooking potential.

Danville Spiderweb. I have no idea why so many people still tie off parachute hackle at the hook eye. It is more complicated and leads to fragile flies. Using this old-fashioned method, you finish with the thread at the hook eye, wrap the hackle, and then pull the hackle fibers away from the hook eye while tying off the hackle stem behind the hook eye. The hackle quill goes directly from the wing post to the hook eye, which leaves it exposed to the sharp teeth of a trout. When the quill breaks, the parachute hackle comes off. It is much easier to wrap the hackle stem around the base of the parachute post and secure the hackle stem there, at the base of the parachute post, where it is protected by several layers of thread and the bulk of the wing. I use Danville 30-denier Spiderweb for these final wraps.

Klinkhåmer Special Recipe

A Klinkhamer Special in a vise.
The Klinkhåmer Special. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
  • HOOK: #8-18 Partridge Klinkhåmer GRS15ST.
  • THREAD: 8/0 gray or tan Uni-Thread for abdomen and thorax, Spiderweb to tie off the hackle.
  • ABDOMEN: Extra Fine Poly Fly Rite dubbing for flies up to#14, Wapsi Super Fine for smaller flies.
  • WING: White poly yarn for#14 and larger flies, Niche silicone yarn for #16 and smaller.
  • THORAX: Three strands of peacock herl.
  • HACKLE: Blue dun, dark dun, light dun, chestnut, or other colors to match natural.
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Place the hook in the vise and spiral-wrap the entire hook shank with tying thread. This prevents the wing and body from slipping or twisting after the fly is finished. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Cut the base of the poly yarn at an angle to taper the wing material and ensure that the underbody is as slim as possible. Tie in the parachute post at the 3/4 mark and secure it by wrapping over the base of the post material to create a smooth tapered underbody Raise the wing to the vertical position using posting wraps around the base of the poly yarn. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Tie in the hackle and make posting wraps around the hackle stem to orient it in the same direction as the yarn. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Apply a small amount of dubbing to the thread. Use only enough dubbing to cover the under­ body. I adjust the hook in my vise to make wrapping the dubbing down past the hook bend easier. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Wrap a thin, smooth, tapered body, starting well past the point above the hook barb. Finish the body directly behind the wing post. Remove any excess dubbing from the thread or wrap it as an underbody for the thorax. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Tie in three peacock herl fibers immediately behind the wing post. If you tie in the strands by their tips, you use the best part of the herl, which creates a nicer-looking thorax. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Wrap the peacock herl forward to create a robust thorax. Tie off and clip the peacock herl, whip finish the Uni-Thread behind the hook eye, and varnish the head. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Turn the hook in the vise so the wing post is horizontal. Make several wraps of Spiderweb thread around the base of the poly yarn, wrap­ ping over the initial wraps of thread to create a rigid base on which to wind the hackle. Trim the tag end of the thread. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Wind the hackle over the thread base and around the base of the wing post, starting at the top of the wing base and taking each successive turn toward the base of the wing post, and closer to the hook shank, to cover the thread wraps. For #16 and smaller flies, use about five wraps of hackle, and seven or more wraps on larger flies. (Hans Van Klinken photo)
A fly-tying step for the Klinkhamer Special.
Secure the hackle stem at the base of the wing, between the hackle and body, using a Jew turns of Spiderweb and then whip-finish the thread at the base of the wing post. Trim the hackle tip and any errant hackle fibers. Use a varnish applicator to lacquer the finishing wraps just under the hackle. (Hans Van Klinken photo)

Hans Van Klinken is a senior instructor in the Royal Netherlands Army. He is the creator of many fly patterns and has fished extensively across Europe and North America.





GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
How-To/Techniques

G. Loomis's “Feel Connected” Episode 2: "Rolled Up"

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
Gear

How to Tie Chicone's Magnum Mantis Fly

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
How-To/Techniques

Small Stream Hopper Fishing

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
How-To/Techniques

Fly Tier's Bench: How to Tie Egan's Poacher

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
Destinations/Species

The Tightest Line

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
How-To/Techniques

How to Tie Craven's Mr. Jones Dry Fly

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
How-To/Techniques

How to Tie Craven's Mr. Jones Dry Fly

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
How-To/Techniques

How to Fight Trout Effectively and Get them in the Net Quickly

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
News

Patagonia Advocates for Dam Removal

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
Destinations/Species

Science in the Thorofare

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...
How-To/Techniques

How to Tie the Picky Eater Perdigon

Ross Purnell and a crew of climber-anglers make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to “middle Earth” to fish for an isolated popu...

Fly Fishing the Plunge Pools of Yosemite Falls

Fly Fisherman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Fly Fisherman App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Fly Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Fly Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Fly Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use