FLYMPH FORUM

I'm not real proud of the body on this fly, but the reason I'm posting it is because of the hackle. This was tied on a Size #18 hook using a partridge feather from the middle back area with barbs that were ideally suited to a Size #12 fly if wrapped in a conventional manner. I clipped the very end of the feather out, leaving a "Y" shape that was tied in with two loose wraps right behind the hook eye with the barbs pointing out over the eye. Then I pulled on the stem until the barbs were the length I wanted them to be, arranged them more or less equally around the hook shank, and then tightened up on the loose wraps before building the body.

After finishing the body wraps behind the hackle, I pushed the barbs back behind the eye, gathered and held them with my left hand, and brought the thread forward to take one firm wrap in front of the hackle. Letting the bobbin hang to maintain a bit of tension on the thread, I used both hands to finish rearranging the hackle barbs around the hook before pulling them back to the "set" position I wanted and taking one more firm thread wrap to hold them in place while I did a three-turn whip finish.

Hook: Daiichi 1100 wide gape dry fly hook, Size #18
Thread: Pearsall's Gossamer #18 green
Hackle: Partridge as per above
Body: Thread wraps

Not bad at all for a #18 lad

Cheers,
HansW

Looks great Bill. That is a method I have not used before. I have cut the fibers off completely and tied them in over the eye, distributed them with a couple wraps then pulled them back. Your method seems a bit easier to deal with. I think it came out very nice and wouldn't have know at all if you had not said something.

Very nicely done! Can I send you some #18 hooks and hackle and let you dress them for me?

Tom

Size 18 huh? Now those are a stretch. You did an amazing job. I do good to do a size 16 most of the time...lol. (some days a 14 is pushing it, with magnification too)

Very useful technique. Thanks for taking the time to explain the tying steps.

Bill,
You made mention of a bad body early in your text but I have to disagree with you a bunch! The body that you tied exhibits the perfect tapering from back to front of the natural insect! All of our attempts (well, at least mine) have come out rather lumpy and unnatural looking. I like the look that you have achieved here with this pattern. I have to agree with Kelly too that what you do with size 18 goods is just incredible! It is so clean and perfect looking!
Great job friend! I guess this answers the question I ask of you yesterday, "What have you been tying lately?" I am pleasantly surprised with your answer! Please keep us fed!
Doug

Really Dough when one considers the magnification it's pretty incredible what the tyer's here are able to achieve. Now back to trying to salvage some of these oversized partridge hackle.

Regards, Jerry

Nice tie Bill, would love to see a SBS on how you did it!

Wayneb

Bill, I'll be curious to see this done in person as well. The technique or a variation of it that I've seen always produces a hackle that has a fairly natural looking set but the fibers are trapped in a way that would limit their mobility. This fly doesn't seem to have that at all. Very nicely done. It's a nice use of a feather that has beautiful markings. Thanks for the description of how you managed this.

w