Tan Mole & Hen

[letumgo]

Tan Mole & Hen
Hook - Mustad Signature Model R90/Size 10
Thread - Pearsall's Gossamer Silk/Primrose
Hackle - Indian Hen Saddle/Ginger
Body - Mole/Tan (touch dubbed)

The materials are listed in the order they are tyed onto the hook.

Note - The dubbed body is wrapped from the front of the hook to back, so the thread can be used to rib the pattern when wrapping forward. Wax the silk well with cobbler's wax and touch-dub the mole onto the thread. When the body is wrapped the hair fibers will project out from the body and allow some of the silk to show thought. Adjusting the amount of dubbing allows you to adjust the color of the pattern to match local insects.

The second (bottom) photo is the same fly with the dubbing applied at the back of the fly and wrapped forward without a rib. I prefer the appearance of the first version.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Both are good looking flies, Ray, and will undoubtedly take many fish. I have to agree with you, though, the first one will catch the fishermen also. When I use cobbler's wax on primrose Pearsall's I get a greyish olive colored silk, yours appears to still be primrose colored. Are those parts showing unwaxed?

REE

[letumgo]

Good question, Ron. I think your right and the tag was unwaxed. I tyed these flies a few weeks ago, so I'm not 100% positive about that. I may have wrapped back to the bend of the hook to form an underbody and then to the slightly towards the front before waxing the silk. You can get similar results by leaving a long tag end of silk and wrapping it back and then forward as a rib. I've been getting nice results by wrapping the body of flies backwards.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Gives me something to experiment with and a great excuse to use my new ceramiscrape dubbing rake from Waldron. I have mole in just about every color so I'll be plaing about a bit.

[DOUGSDEN]

DEAR RAY,
EXCELLENT LOOKING PATTERN AND VERY WELL TIED TOO! I HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU THAT #1 IS MORE APPEALING TO ME. WE ALL KNOW THAT ON CERTAIN RARE OCCASIONS THE TAG AND THE RIB MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. NUMBER 2 HAS IT'S MERRITS TOO. MAYBE I'LL TIE SIX OF ONE AND HALF A DOZEN OF THE OTHER....JUST IN CASE!
GREAT JOB ON THE PHOTOGRAPHY TOO. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH MY DEN,
DOUGSDEN

[Soft-hackle]

Both patterns certainly look great to me. The yellow one does catch the eye more because of the contrast of color.

Mark

[William Anderson]

Ray, it's interesting how that tag and the rib really makes a difference in how much I like that first fly. The other is no doubt its equal, but but I'm not a trout, so I just like what I like.

[Roadkill]

I prefer using a long tag end of the tying thread(as you mentioned) or another thread for the rib for durability. If the tying thread exposed as the tag and rib are cut then the body is free to unravel. I feel the thread buried in the dubbing is less likely to come apart. I have caught many fish on a fly with a small trailing piece of ribbing that can be nipped off.