Rusty Berlin Bum

[CreationBear]

Another brookie-slayer, and y'all have about sold me on TUE's for flymphy flies.

[Roadkill]

Ray,

Thanks for the inspiration! I also like the color of the Peacock Sword. I don't have quite the same materials for your fly but here is my Fiery Brown Variant for Steelhead.

IMGP4596 by William Lovelace, on Flickr

Hook- Dai Riki 899 #2
Thread- Black 3/0 Monocord
Body-100% Merino Wool dyed Fiery Brown in dubbing loop
Thorax-Peacock Sword in dubbing loop
Hackle-Cock Pheasant

[letumgo]

Oh, that is FANTASTIC! I love how you used the sword fibers. Great technique.

How the heck did you form such a compact head with 3/0 thread? Very impressive.

[willowhead]

THAT'S! the deal.....

[fflutterffly]

I have to take the needle out of my arm...you're killing me! Beautiful balance...and the colors...Lions and Tigers and Bears oh my!

[CreationBear]

Ha...all sorts of applications for that thorax spring to mind... I'd be very interested in how you got such a neat distribution wrap with those slippery suckers....

[Roadkill]

Ha...all sorts of applications for that thorax spring to mind... I'd be very interested in how you got such a neat distribution wrap with those slippery suckers....

CreationBear,

Simple as twisting up the dubbing loop into a tight chenille of Sword with a tool like a shepard's crook. Then stroking back the feather barbs before each new turn.

[CreationBear]

Did somebody say...twist? You know, I actually tried that earlier, but getting the sword fibers to stay in the dubbing loop long enough for me to spin it was too much for my fine motor skills....now that I know it can be done, though, I'll be back to the vise (no doubt with the Shop-vac at my side. )

[tie2fish]

Roadkill ~ An inspired dressing; beautiful work with all the components.

[Roadkill]

Here is my PM response to letumgo about the small head on the fly even with 3/0 monocord. He thought a few more tyers might be interested.

Ray,

This isn't as hard as it sounds because Danville 3/0 monocord is actually smaller thread than UNI 6/0. It is my standard thread for even a lot of my trout flies as I used to have rough hands from woodworking. Hand throwing a whip finish with some smaller threads could end in frustration with the thread fraying and snapping when I started to tighten the finish knot.

But the real real trick is something I learned setting across the vise from Alec Jackson who is one of the finest gentlemen from Yorkshire that you could hope to meet. Alec is as masterful a storyteller as he is a Master Angler and Tyer. If you have never seen it I suggest you get a copy of his Steelhead tying video out in the Hooked on Flytying series. In finishing his Spade flies, Alec insists the key is two turns of soft hackle feather shaft on a bare hook shank, then just covered with tying thread. Very easy to do with the fine Whiting American Hen saddles.

The real setup in holding the steelhead soft hackle tied in by the tip is wrapping your thread forward as many extra turns as you need toward the eye to keep the feather from slipping and keeping the bobbin out of your way as you fold and wrap. When you have wrapped the prepared hackle past the barbs down to the bare stem, unwrap your extra wraps of tying thread in front of that point so that the stem can be twice wrapped around a bare hook shank. Then you catch the stem with your thread wrap over the two turns tightly,cut the stem or twist and snap it off as Alec likes to do, and finish the head. My head is fat by comparison because I don't bother to spin and flatten the thread to get the ultimate fine head so sought by many competitive show tiers.

I am one who has fun with Hans about what colored thread heads mean to a fish and I love his style of tying but it isn't me. But I have also had some thought provoking discussions at the vise with Dr. David Burns and Paul Rossman about the merits of the old large heads on traditional Salmon Flies

Happy Feather Bending!!