Magpie Pearly Gates

[willowhead]

DAMN, NOW! your talkin'.....i'll get you over here to the dark side yet Ray.......thas a killer Brookie fly.......right hook in the right size, and you got a deadly Steelie fly as well. GOOD Going'!

[kanutripr]

Beautiful Ray. How do you find that mylar to wrap? I have a bunch of that stuff they attach to the handlebars of little kids bikes. It's got the same pearlescent qualities and is great to wrap. It is a little stretchy and makes a great streamer body, wraps nice and smooth and it's usually wider than the stuff you buy. Up side is it's cheap too. Just follow the little kids around and pick the stuff up off the ground. When my friends' girls found out what I was going to do with the stuff they started making it fall off on purpose.



Vicki

[willowhead]

Better yet Vicki.....just go to Walmart.....it's free.

[kanutripr]

It's only free if they don't catch you! Sorry Ray, it's Mark's fault.



Vicki

[letumgo]

LOL! Thanks for the tip, Vicki, but I will stick to buying mine...

The Mylar is fairly easy to work with. You just need to be careful (read gentle) with the first wrap. Experience has taught me that too much tension will tear it off. The hook point will slice it off, if you pull the tinsel across it. Adding a little superglue to the thread underbody helps reinforce the tinsel body.

You have reminded me that I have some Christmas tinsel, which is very similar to this spooled Mylar. Now where did I put that stuff?

[willowhead]

Hey Ray...............don't blame me...........Blame It On the Bossa Nova!

i buy mine too and i have a ton of the Christmas stuff.......but come to think of it............i can't remember where i pout it either..........

OH WOW! i just found it.........wasn't misplaced after all............

[kanutripr]

I have some of the holographic Christmas tinsel from the dollar store. It's great stuff. You can always get some wacky colours but you have to watch what you buy. You want the stuff that's stretchy not the brittle stuff. Just don't get caught testing that out either! The stuff from the handlebars is very strong. I've even caught the hook point a few times with it. It's good stuff.


Vicki

[willowhead]

Best thing bout the handle bar stuff is it's wide...........on BIG hooks that really helps. Specially after you just spent 2 hours laying down a perfectly smooth underbody of thread on a foot long hook. .........

[DNicolson]

Excellent Ray, it is great when the ideas keep coming.

[William Anderson]

Ray, these are immaculate, as always. I haven't seen Magpie hackle available, but it's something that I'll be looking for. How does it compare in tying with Starling? I have a Magpie tail that I've used to tie the little herl heads on some of historic patterns, but it is so delicate and tiny it haven't been able to get one to look right. I would imagine the hackle has as much shimmer as the tips of the best Starling hackles.

My only concern is that when these patterns are all put in the same thread, I'll never be able to find the subsequent flies in a couple weeks. And how did you get the heading to change? And will it come up in a search? Inquiring minds...

w