Golden Onion

[Roadkill]

Hook-Mustad 3906 #12
Thread-Tan UTC 70
Tail & Hackle-Golden Plover
Body- Onion dyed Rabbit twisted on a spinning block with Primrose Yellow Gossamer
Rib- Gold Twist

B0051067 by William Lovelace, on Flickr

[Mataura mayfly]

Really nice fly. I have never had much luck with onion dye, you seem to have the measure of it.

[Old Hat]

I bet this will be a great pattern on the water. I have been playing with some predominantly gold patterns lately as well.

The onion dye is one I have been meaning to try but haven't taken the step yet. Have you tried it with feathers as well?

[Roadkill]

Carl,

I don't know about hackles but White marabou dyed with the exact same onion bath came out a very nice tan damsel fly nymph material.

[tie2fish]

A very nice dye job ... the dubbing fairly glows. And the application of it is top-notch too.

[William Anderson]

That should be very productive. I love plover. Did you dye the dubbing yourself? I'm not at all familiar with the process of using onion as a dye. It's a nice fly.

w

[Roadkill]

William,

It takes me back to dying easter eggs as a kid , I boiled onion skins that I saved to make the dye bath and set the color with white vinegar. A handy book that I bought many years ago is Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly-Tying Materials by A. K. Best.

Another historic one I want to do that I haven't gotten around to yet is Marigold dye.

[Old Hat]

I tried artichoke once after noticing how green the water was after boiling a few. It turned a lot of mallard flank a nice dirty green color.

[William Anderson]

Thanks, RK. I have that book somewhere. I believe it's in one of the boxes of books out in the garage that aren't "allowed" in the house until I have a real plan to manage them.

working on that.

w