Orange Muskrat

[DUBBN]

I took some advice and went to the Craft store and bought some Lt Blue paper, and as close as I could get to the 18% Gray paper.
I thought I would try a more colorfull fly to test the different backgrounds.

Orange Muskrat
Hook - Mustad 94840
Thread - Dark Brown UTC 70
Tail - Brown Hen Hackle
Body - Orange Haretron. The exact number I have forgotten.
Rib (optional) - Fine Gold wire
Collar - Brown Hen Hackle

On Gray background


On the Blue background


I use this fly alot starting the middle of August. That seems to be when the October Caddis start to make an appearance on the Lower Gunnison River, and the Lower Colorado. It is also a very good fly on the Big Horn in Montana and the Gunnison Gorge as it does double duty as a scud immatation.

[hankaye]

DUBBIN, Howdy;

The top pic looks better on my screen.....

In the bottom the orange isn't quite as bold...

How many 'other' colors do ya make the mushrat in?

hank

[DUBBN]

DUBBIN, Howdy;

The top pic looks better on my screen.....

In the bottom the orange isn't quite as bold...

How many 'other' colors do ya make the mushrat in?

hank

Hank, you can make them any color you want. Muskrat, Olive, and Orange are by far the ones I use the most. That being said, if I am fishing a river with a large scud population, I usually tie a few in a couple shades of pink, a few with a darker Orange than the fly pictured, and possibly a few Muskrats with clear antron added. Like most styles of flys the combinations are limited to your imagination. One that I should be tying up is a size 16 pale yellow with a red butt. It's getting close to Yellow Sally time.

[kanutripr]

Very nice. Good experiment.

For me the orange in the bottom pic seems to pop more and the hackle looks a little less washed out. Blue and orange are complimentary colours on the colour scale so the blue should make the orange pop more. The background colour is really a deciding factor between making a pic bold or not.


Vicki

[DUBBN]

Very nice. Good experiment.

For me the orange in the bottom pic seems to pop more and the hackle looks a little less washed out. Blue and orange are complimentary colours on the colour scale so the blue should make the orange pop more. The background colour is really a deciding factor between making a pic bold or not.


Vicki

So are you voting Blue, or taunting me and my dirty vice?

[willowhead]

That fly is so, KAWAI.........."Cute" in Japanese.

i like the grey background best.......although i prefere rocks, wood, feathers, whatever........ANYTHING but a flat color..........personally i'm just sick of seeing blue backgrounds.............so boring because everyone does it..........so uncreative.......jeeze......... But if it boats your float then by all means.......... Don't wanna rain on no parades.....

[letumgo]

I vote for the blue background. Like Vicki saids, the blue background color seems to enhance the orange body. The bottom photo also seems to be a tad bit sharper.

Great pattern, by the way. Where did you find all of the different colors of muskrat dubbing? Are they available prepackaged, or did you dye your own?

I need more dubbing, like I need a hole in my head...

[DUBBN]

I vote for the blue background. Like Vicki saids, the blue background color seems to enhance the orange body. The bottom photo also seems to be a tad bit sharper.

Great pattern, by the way. Where did you find all of the different colors of muskrat dubbing? Are they available prepackaged, or did you dye your own?

I need more dubbing, like I need a hole in my head...

The only actual Muskrat dubbing is on the Muskrat fly itself. The rest are rabbit fur, and blends. If the fish happen to be taking an Olive SH, my friends would ask for an Olive Muskrat. The name just kinda took hold for them. "Wayne, can I get a couple Olive Muskrats?" I didnt want to go into an on stream lecture on how dumb they are. They were buying the beer! Who am I to argue with friends buying beer? "A couple Olive Muskrats coming right up buddy. How about a nice Orange one too?"

[letumgo]

See, it's that kind of field experience that is invaluable... Very educational, my friend.

[William Anderson]

Wayne, I don't mean to hijack a post, but while we're here, I'll take the pic subject a bit further. Great Orange Caddis pattern, and yes, once you've started calling something one thing, it's sometimes better to deal with some confusion in the name rather than the confusion of changing the name. Nice color.

I agree the bluer background gives a more accurate rendition of all the parts of this pattern. I played around with several different backgrounds when I first started taking pics of my flies. Looking for something kind of unique or more my own, so to speak, but they never really translated the materials as well as what I think Hans' pics do, so I stopped experimenting and starting trying to get a pic that communicated as well as his do. He's been tweeking his pics for...I don't know how long and arrived at a background that creates a balanced and cohesive image for almost any fly regardless of style, size or materials. They come across better than any pics I've seen. I have only photographed one fly, a Pukeko and Peacock softhackle, that didn't benefit from the contrast and compliment of the blue background because it has a deep blue tint in the hackle. Besides that, I don't see many trout flies, aside from Ray's recent flies, that include blue in the pattern. I like to see the tips of the hackles, read the tint of tinsel and feel the softness of the softest herls. The contrast of the background allows that. When the background matches or blends with any part of the background, that part either dissolves or leaves the eye with less information to process. Plus I just think they're pretty.

You're pics are coming together nicely. I honestly don't care if anyone's pictures are perfect or even in focus, as long as they are posting. It's so important here to be able to share patterns. But if you do want to spend a little time thinking about the pics, it's great to get the feedback. I hope everyone who cares about this kind of stuff keeps fooling around with the backgrounds and lighting ect, so I don't have to. It's just kind of fun.

Here's one of my earlier pics and a more recent of a similar fly.









Sorry for the derailment of the thread. It could have been another thread in the cabin, but those usually tank after the conversation is broken.

w