Goats Toe anybody?

[Mataura mayfly]

As a few of you know, my parents have a rather nice peacock of bronze genetics. Over the years I have been lucky enough to benefit from his annual moulting of feathers. The Goats Toe is about the only pattern I know of that uses the iridescent neck feathers from the bird in question.
The Goats Toe was of Irish origin and has been well received in Scotland as a Loch or still water fly. I don't fish a lot of still waters, but having the feathers laying around I decided to tie up a few.





Hooks: #8-10 Kamasan B175
Thread: Various to suit tag/rib colour
Tag: Wool to suit colour of choice
Rib: As for tag, twisted tight to slim the profile
Body: Bronze Peacock herl
Hackle: Iridescent peacock neck feather

Apparently if tied as above, but with the addition of a deer hair head it becomes a Goats Tadger. Some of our UK friends may be able to confirm this? I have not seen one before (least not the fly ) but this is an attempt at one.



By some references these are used for Salmon by some in the UK. We do not have much of a Salmon fishery here, least not a fly fishing one, but I think they might work for Steelhead? Anyone who wants to give some a try, let me know.

[Boris]

Very colourful flies... and the reel is a beauty. Is that the salmon reel you showed me?

Would those flies be referred to as 'lures' in NZ?

[Mataura mayfly]

In sizes #8-10-12 they would probably be grouped into wet flies here, but then again most of NZ is not too open to the idea of anything wingless being called a wet fly as most of us have forgotten what they are and how to fish them!
If the feather was not wrapped and laying on top ah-la Craig's Night Time style it would be called a lure, but even most of our lures have wings of some form or another. As I have never seen one here either private tied or in a shop..... I guess you could call them what you liked here.

Yep, you have seen that reel before, it is the big Farlow BW-P 4". Salmon sized but would have been used for trout here back in the day.

[Donald Nicolson]

Here is Davie MacPhail's video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vI8ATG92UY
And here is one I tied a while back :-
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/page363.html

This is popular fly in Ireland and Scotland.

[Mataura mayfly]

Thank you Donald, I was hoping somebody with more knowledge of the pattern might jump in.
Very nice tie of your own, very nice photo as well.
My number 1 camera had flat batteries so these photos were taken with the new waterproof point & shoot. Your link shows the fly in much better form.

Couple of questions on your hackle. You used an under-hackle, I had read somewhere that this is done where the fly is likely to be used in moving water, helping to stop the peacock collapse around the body. Any truth in that way of thinking?
Your neck feather is of the blue cast colouration, mine are more green in tones, would that make any difference? Again I read somewhere the green shades are desirable, but as a complete Goats Toe novice I have no proof if one fishes any better than the other.

[William Anderson]

That's a nice set, Jeff. I don't remember seeing this before, but I'll have to consult my NZ tying books to learn more about it. I'm assuming you would strip this like a steamer? Looks like something that would work on small mouth in my area.

[Mataura mayfly]

William, you wont find mention of it in NZ books. It is an older Irish pattern and well liked in Scotland. I've never seen it nor heard mention of it in NZ before. If you read above then you will know as much about it as I do.
I think it is fished in a team on a slow retrieve, but Donald, Ashley, Lawrence or someone else from the UK might be able to answer that better. I imagine (from what little I know of Bass) it might work well for them.
I think the red wool tag and rib is the original tie, but any colour could be used to suit the conditions or target species.

[Old Hat]

Very nicely tied and great color combinations. This is one of those patterns that I love and have played with but never had much luck with in the water. Some of your combinations may be decent steelhead patterns here.

[Kelly L.]

Nice bunch of flies there. I like this pattern, you tied up some really good ones. Thanks for the photos and recipe!

[Donald Nicolson]

I have done a little bit of research on this Irish fly, which is very popular in Scotland.
The original version had a red floss body ribbed with peacock herl but John Kennedy of the South Uist Estates in the Western Isles (Hebrides) improved and strengthened it by ribbing a herl body with red wool. Stan Headley included a fluo floss ribbing and a bottle green peacock hackle as opposed to the metallic blue of the original. It has been very successful on the large English reservoirs and the big Highland and Orkney lochs in a loch-style team. This is taken from John Roberts 'Dictionary of Trout Flies'. The info above is from there.
Here is the recipe given:-
Hook:- 10 - 12, or long shank 12 for salmon and sea-trout.
Thread:- Black.
Butt:- One turn medium flat gold.
Tag:- Fluorescent Red Wool.
Body:- Two strands of Bronze Peacock herl, one wound up the shank and one wound down.
ribbed with four strands of GloBrite #5 (Fire Orange) twisted.
Hackle:- Bottle Green Peacock neck feather (one and a half times the body length).
A bolstering black hen hackle may be added to support the peacock hackle.
This I believe is the Stan Headley version which has been very successful.
Larger versions on low-water salmon hooks are also used as single flies.
So, there you are, blue or green hackles, they are all "Goat's Toes".
I hope this gives some ideas.
I have since realised that this is the version I dressed, excepting I used the metallic blue.