Soft Hackle BS

[Donald Nicolson]

That will make a very nice still-water chironomid.
They can be quite large, and black is probably the most
successful colour.

[redietz]

That will make a very nice still-water chironomid.
They can be quite large, and black is probably the most
successful colour.

I was thinking that it would make a nice moving water chironomid if cut down to a size 20.

[tie2fish]

Speaking of current jargon, that is an awesome tie, dude!

[CreationBear]

that is an awesome tie, dude!

Fo' schizzel, my nizzle.

Chironomid's are really uncharted territory for me down here in the Smokies, though last week as my wife was plashing around on a backcountry stream she kept describing what sounded like a pretty good hatch of craneflies. More research definitely required...

[letumgo]

Bob (redietz) - I will need to make some substitutions to tye this pattern in a size 20. The tinsel will probably be too wide for a hook that small. I may need to twist it into a fine cord, or find an even finer tinsel (which I probably already own - I just need to do some digging to find it). I would probably switch the dubbing to mole (finer hair more in line with the smaller size). The hackle would also change. Starling seems more in line with micro pattern.

This brings up an interesting question. If I've changed this many components on a fly, is it still the same pattern? To me, the answer is yes, but I would love to hear what others think.

[redietz]

Bob (redietz) - I will need to make some substitutions to tye this pattern in a size 20. The tinsel will probably be too wide for a hook that small. I may need to twist it into a fine cord, or find an even finer tinsel (which I probably already own - I just need to do some digging to find it). I would probably switch the dubbing to mole (finer hair more in line with the smaller size). The hackle would also change. Starling seems more in line with micro pattern.

This brings up an interesting question. If I've changed this many components on a fly, is it still the same pattern? To me, the answer is yes, but I would love to hear what others think.

All those thoughts occurred to me almost instantly on seeing the fly (more like "How am I going to shrink this great looking pattern.) Silver wire instead of tinsel as a rib was my first thought, but then is becomes just a modified Zebra Midge. Lay down the tinsel first and use the thread as a rib was another thought. The key to me was the gloss coating, so those changes wouldn't have made a difference in my mind. Same with changing dubbing. "Black is Black" as Los Bravos used to sing. I could probably find some grizzly hackle I could use; at that size an ok sub for badger.

As to the question about at what point does a dressing get a different name. That's always an interesting question. Over on another board, we were discussing the difference between a "Honey Dun" and a "Dark Hendrickson", both dries tied by Rube Cross. They have exactly the same materials listed; the difference seems to be that the name of the former implies a specific shade of dun hackle. OTOH, compare an Adams as tied by Halliday with one you're likely to find in a bin today, with a parachute and a hi-viz wing post. Yet both are called an Adams. There's clearly no consensus about where to draw the line.

[DUBBN]

Hook - TMC 2488, size 24
Thread- Griffith 14/0 Black
Tag/Rib - Lagurtan Silver wire
Thorax - Xfine Dry Fly Dubbing, Black
Collar - Grizzly Hen Hackle
Thorax was coated with Loots Knot Sense



Ray, this is the closest I could get to yours with the materials on hand.

[Mataura mayfly]

This brings up an interesting question. If I've changed this many components on a fly, is it still the same pattern? To me, the answer is yes, but I would love to hear what others think.

To me no, if it is altered to suit the hook more than changed to imitate another insect, then to me it is the same pattern. If you changed order of materials and wrapped the shank in tinsel and ribbed in black floss...... then you can call it something different.

[letumgo]

Wayne - Thank you for posting your fly. Terrific job miniaturizing this pattern. Your fly is my new benchmark.

[Kelly L.]

Ray, I loved the bold looking fly. The colors are great. I particular liked your hackle choice with the other materials. Beautiful.