Coq de Leon and Olive 1550

[William Anderson]

So this is a fly tied with the olive or light olive silk that I won on Ebay. I would love to know which number it is. It's just hard to tell with the misinformation and variations over time. This silk is in really great condition and beautiful to see.

Coq de Leon and Olive, Daiichi 1550 #14, beaver thorax.



The silk in question; Any Thoughts?



w

[letumgo]

William - If it is the true olive Gossamer, then the number is 16. I have a color chart that lists a few different shades (Olive = 16; Green = 18; Light Olive = 20). Unfortunately the chart does not have pictures of the silk for comparison. I think yours is No. 16, but I am not positive...

WOW! That is a gorgeous fly.

Question - Did you wax the silk? It looks a shade darker on the body of the fly, when compared with the silk on the spool.

[kanutripr]

Nice fly! That is a great colour silk. Too bad they don't/didn't identify the colours better. You'd think that would be somewhat important !?!


Vicki

[willowhead]

i "Knew" that color was cool when i saw that post before.......and it IS! Beautiful fly.....specially the way you did the hackle. Really nice.

Wish ya'll coulda been at the Sowbug.....it was the 13th time we out-did the previous year financially. Total success in every way......

[tie2fish]

Beautiful, William. Really nice job on the thread body, and the hackle looks as though it's moving even on dry land ...

[William Anderson]

Here's a version that is waxed. Just a run of cobblers wax.



And a Version just dubbed, poorly, and with beaver. Beaver has a brilliant shimmer to it, and a really quirky curliness, which can be a bit of a challenge to manage, but I like the liveliness. Maybe a poor choice for touch dubbing (photogenically) but lively nontheless.



Thanks for all the comments and kind remarks. I do like these flies and can't wait to try them out.

w

[Otter]

No matter how much credence we do or do not give to the possibility that a particular shade of silk may be particularily effective when applied to the right pattern and fished in the right manner , it is a hell of a lot of fun trying a new shade and then testing its effectiveness. A few of these in the box will make for a fun day on the water when the right day comes along. Thanks for sharing.

[Old Hat]

All wonderfully done. I'm particularly fond of the dubbed body. That color is special. It is so hard to tell numbers by looking because there can be quite a difference in the same number code especially when dealing with aged vintage lots.

[William Anderson]

Thanks all. I like the dubbed body too. In general, I have more confidence in a soft-hackle with a dubbed body (skimpy or thicker), with a lively thorax and with tails. I'm not sure why, but I just can't help thinking as the fly comes downstream that a fish has to appreciate all the extras. This is proven completely absurd of course. Just sayin.

One thing about this silk, maybe due to age, but if I just touch this thread the spot darkens moreso than with other gossamer silks. Maybe I should wash my hands more often when using cobblers wax. Or maybe just in general.

w