I can't believe I'm just seeing this. What a brilliant thread.
Lance, thanks so much for sharing your flies and the flies from the wallet. I love seeing the experimental flies and all the variations. To me they acknowledge the creativity of the tier giving the theories and writing more credibility and deeper meaning. They demonstrate an ever curious nature and I would not expect anything less.
Many of the flies you've posted in past months do have a vintage quality and I too say that as a sincere compliment. For me, it is in the traditional construction and the head shape, but besides that, your hackle length is often equal to that found not only in the wallet, but also in so many of the older books. My hackle length varies, but typically it has been shorter. I realize there is not a correct length, but I look at flies in Pritts plates, where the hackle to extends further back and I still go to the vise and try to keep my hackles closer to the shank length. I can't say why. Old books are another reason I get that vintage vibe from your posts. In modern lit and online we are typically seeing pics of flies elevated where the hackle remains distributed around the shank, but most of the old pics from books (tie2fish old, not letumgo old

) and images of flies in wallets document flies placed flat similar to your own. Your photography is remarkable and makes seeing your flies very enjoyable.
Thanks again for sharing these. And kudos to Mm for making it possible.
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