FLYMPH FORUM

Brown & Orange Soft Hackle
Hook - Mustad Model 3906B / Size 12
Thread - 8/0 UNI-Thread (Orange)
Hackle - Indian Hen Saddle Feather (dyed dark brown)
Underbody - Narrow Mylar Tinsel (Copper)
Abdomen - Pearsall's Marabou Silk (Orange)
Thorax - Rabbit Dubbing (Dark Brown)

EDIT - I corrected the underbody color. It had originally been listed as gold, but it is actually copper colored tinsel.

Nice fly Ray. Where the heck did you link that from?



Vicki

Oops never mind, the pics up now.



Vicki

I screwed up the link the first time. I pasted it in as a URL link, instead of an image link. My bad. I fixed the post as soon as I realized it was buggered up.

Great color combination + POP underbody technique + flawless tying = another classic from Ray.

tie2fish wrote:Great color combination + POP underbody technique + flawless tying = another classic from Ray.

I completely agree.

As I look at the photo, I am thinking the dyed Indian Hen is a close match to English Grouse. This would make a good sub. I like the rabbit dubbing. It seems to have a bit of red blended in. I had not noticed that before taking the picture.

I am going to revamp my Orange Muskrat, and add a Chocolate thorax to it like your B&O Soft Hackle. It wont look nearly as classy as your pattern, but I do have all the materials for it on hand. I will be using the 3906B hook aswell in 14's.

Well. you just got everybody's attention who lives close to the Blue Ridge: a brookie slayer indeed! A question for you, though: I know that on some of your silk floss/tinsel underbodies you coat the floss with SHAN or superglue; how many fish will the untreated fly hold up under? Also, if coated, does the fly lose the "magic" translucence of silk as it wets through, or does it retain a kind of "dimensional" effect even when varnished?

Jon - Generally, the unprotected silk bodies will catch between 6 to 10 fish, before getting shredded. I've had flies last longer, and some that get shredded after just a couple fish (especially small fish, for some reason...perhaps their teeth are sharper than on larger fish). I have coated some with superglue, and some with head cement. Superglue can give mixed best results. Sometimes it dries crystal clear and is extremely durable. Other times, it with dry with white spots (cloudy). I think the results depend on how fresh the superglue is (fresher is better) and how much moisture is around (humidity seems to cause cloudy results).

If anyone knows why superglue gets white spots, I am all ears.

I recently bought some of the UV Cure resin, to see if how it works on silk bodies. Just haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

Lately, I have been tying a bunch of these flies using Leg's Alive stretch floss, instead of silk. This material gives very similar results, and is very durable. The result look very similar to the silk body, maybe even a little better in some respects (somehow they look "juicer").

If your going for durability, I think the metal rib is the way to go.