Kenspeckle Grouse & Green

[CreationBear]

I was playing around last night with another "hot spot" combination, in this case English grouse with a chartreuse wire brush thorax:


Since all I had at hand was "brassie" sized chartreuse wire, I wouldn't want to tie on much smaller than the #14 TMC 200r that's pictured, but with finer wire I could see going down to at least a #16--a possible BWO for some of y'all maybe.

Another thing I tried out was some homemade silk dubbing--basically Pearsall's Marabou snipped into sections, then "pulped" using Mike C.'s "pebbles in a jar" method. (I even went so far as to use his patented "use your wife's stocking as a sieve technique"...which reminds me I should get around to telling her which one it was. ) At any rate, mixed with a little brown mole it makes for a great touch-dub:

[fly_fischa]

What a delicious looking pattern. I love it, simply stunning buddy.

[Roadkill]

Beautiful fly!!

[chase creek]

Lovely fly - doesn't get much buggier looking than that. Really like the color combination.

[CreationBear]

Thanks, gents--it's not quite as wooly in-hand as in the photo, so I'm hoping it might fish if there are some Quill Gordon's coming off in a couple months.

[Mataura mayfly]

Really cool fly and excellent photography.

Wher do I find more info on the dubbing making pebbles and jar method?
Will a search of the forum lead to results?

[letumgo]

Great flies and photos, Jon. Looks like a deadly fly.

Jeff (Mataura mayfly) - Here is a link to Mike's post regarding the dubbing blending method.

http://www.flymphforum.com/viewtopic.ph ... ing#p23661

Have fun!

[CreationBear]

Jeff--

No worries if you can't find Mike's instructions (though his treatise on dubbing that Ray linked to is outstanding). Simply snip, say, 1-2mm lengths of floss into a small jar, add a few pebbles, then cover with water. Screw on the lid, shake everything about until the floss breaks down--it doesn't take long--then strain out the silk fibers.

As I said, I'm just starting to play around with it, but I believe Mike uses it on his otherwise traditional North Country spider patterns as a way of creating a "halo effect;" elsewhere he mentions a blend of silk dubbing as making a good water rat sub.

Hopefully we'll see what other folks come up with--and do try the Loren Williams' "double hackle" sometime: I think it's really suited to those bigger flymphs you've been tying.

[DNicolson]

A very nice fly, but one question, where did you get the word 'kenspeckle'

*Sc. 1850 J. Grant Sc. Cavalier xxiii.:
Jock’s gey gleg at the uptak’, and mair kenspeckle than ye think.
II. n. A mark by which a person or thing may be known or recognised (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 94; Abd.4 1931; Lth., Lnk. 1959).
[O.Sc. has kenspecke, 1614, ken-speckled, 1684, kenspekill, a.1538. Appar. a deriv. in -le of Eng. dial. kenspeck, conspicuous, prob. of Scand. orig. Cf. Norw. dial. kjennespak, Swed. känspak, quick at recognising, O.N. kennispeki, faculty of recognition, the orig. meaning still surviving in I. 2.]

[RnF]

Killer pattern. I may have to tie some of those myself. Would be great in the high country fly once the ice and snow melts. Thanks for sharing!