Pete Hidy flymph

[CreationBear]

Great analysis--much better than my usual "just looks buggy" comment I mumble under my breath. A question, though: if I understand your point, you're saying that stiffer options in terms of feather fiber (e.g. hen hackle, perhaps CdL) better convey the more purposeful movements of the emerging natural than do "loosy-goosey" gamebird hackles. Would building in a "mechanical" feature--say, a built-up thorax--give gamebird hackle enough "kick" to mimic the effect you're talking about, or do you think the fiber needs to be stiff its entire length?

[Old Hat]

Yes exactly. But remember this is really nit picking to achieve confidence on the water and you still want some level of softness that the hen hackle affords. I use basic flymph design in many of my steelhead patterns and CdL is my go to hackle for them. However, I specifically select the hackle which has about 2/3 of it's interior length as soft and webby as possible.

It think you could get some level of what I described as far as action with the very soft hackle but finding that glassy light catching look would have to be achieved in the dubbing choice. I have experimented with what you are describing. Imbedding the hackle deeply in a spikey or loosely dubbed thorax works somewhat, building a loop and including the dubbing and soft hackle into the loop works pretty good as well. I think you also loose some of the bubble carrying properties. These can be "synthetically" achieved with a flashy rib or flash in the dubbing to some extant. But it still can't match the hen hackle in my opinion.

Again look at the second picture, to me that is the perfect flymph for fishing the way these gentlemen described as working the fly on the lift to mimic that emergence action and time in life history of the insect. Notice when I say perfect flymph I couple it with the method of fishing. They go hand in hand. Other designs may be better suite for other methods or stages in the insects life cycle.

[CreationBear]

Notice when I say perfect flymph I couple it with the method of fishing. They go hand in hand.

Ha...you're going to like your Ito.

[William Anderson]

What great treasures and discoveries in this post.

On the glassy hackle thought...
The last pic here is what I have come to believe is the definition of the best flymph design.

This thread has been just amazing, and not only because we've learned about what Hank was up to at boot camp. I love this stuff.

Carl, your comment above would be very hard to argue against. This fly seems to incorporate what I like about these flies the most as well. I can appreciate the thoughts on glassy hackle. I actually had thought the hackle with more contrast (less than glassy) was desirable, but the thinking behind light catching hackle tips and the thorax contrast design rings true. To this point, I have read Hidy's descriptions, Liesenrings too, as using hen for the purpose of being able to wrap the hackle through the thorax area, extending the proportion of the hackle in the flie's overall profile. That would account for legs, wings and any other emergent anatomy for me. Below is a fly I tied for an IBF swap (Hans was kind enough to photograph that swap, I hope you don't mind if I show the image...I don't happen to have this fly photographed.)



Not a buggy body, just a slender profile with some contrast. I just thought the design representing legs and wings in this manner was spot on. It may have actually been a Slattery pattern, - Pop-up March Brown...I can't remember now, that changed everything for me. I had dismissed wet flies before this. Being very new to tying at the time it seemed silly to me that flies were still being tied with actual wings and legs sticking out of their necks (beards). I can appreciate the beauty of these flies now, but when I was exposed to the flymph designs, lots of lights came on.

Extending the legs and wings through the thorax is clear here too with this second Hidy pic. Such a wonderful photograph by GD, as you can see the tying thread coming right up through the hackles. I remember reading a number of writers from this era and before talking about using the glassy hackle, but in a way dismissed it. I love CdL hen capes, but it is mostly because of the speckles and contrast. I'm seeing the glassy nature of these hackles must not have hurt anything. Thanks for another revelation. As CB said, nice analysis.

w

[William Anderson]

I just thought the design representing legs and wings in this manner was spot on. It may have actually been a Slattery pattern, - Pop-up March Brown...I can't remember now, that changed everything for me.

w

Jim tied a number of flies in this manner. It just made sense to me. Pop-Top flymphs.

http://www.danica.com/flytier/jslattery ... flymph.htm

[Soft-hackle]

Don't know if I'm adding anything to this thread, but Leisenring mentions dotterel hackle as a preference. This is year-old rooster, not yet mature enough to use as dry fly hackle, but stiffer and shinier than barn-yard hen (although I like plain ols barn-yard hen, sometime). Genetic hen is very similar to dotterel. Leisenring also liked the dark list type feather-furnace, badger, etc. He claimed they imitated both wing and legs of the fly. The Whiting Brahma hen capes exhibit this characteristic, and the dyed colors make them great. I have not examined them for their transparency, but they seem very nice.

Mark

[Old Hat]

Notice when I say perfect flymph I couple it with the method of fishing. They go hand in hand.

Ha...you're going to like your Ito.

it's killing me. I ordered this rod too many weeks before opening trout season.

[DUBBN]

Don't know if I'm adding anything to this thread, but Leisenring mentions dotterel hackle as a preference. This is year-old rooster, not yet mature enough to use as dry fly hackle, but stiffer and shinier than barn-yard hen (although I like plain ols barn-yard hen, sometime). Genetic hen is very similar to dotterel. Leisenring also liked the dark list type feather-furnace, badger, etc. He claimed they imitated both wing and legs of the fly. The Whiting Brahma hen capes exhibit this characteristic, and the dyed colors make them great. I have not examined them for their transparency, but they seem very nice.

Mark

Now I am confused. I thought a juvenile rooster was a cockerel
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cockerel

and a Dotterel was a shore bird.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Dotterel

In the fighting of roosters a bird that has not yet molted would be called a "Stag", and a rooster that had molted would be called a "cock".

In the end, this doesnt amount to a hill of beans either

[gingerdun]

Since there is some interest in this category of flymph, those with transparent fibers in the hackle (or dubbing), with darker lists, here are a few more for you to chew on. All by Pete Hidy.





Re: Dubbn's conversation with Soft-Hackle—

dotterel—a small plover with a brown streaked back and a chestnut or buff belly with black below. Dotterels breed in mountainous areas and in the tundra. • Genus Eudromias, family Charadriidae: two species, esp. the Eurasian E. morinellus, which is noted for its tameness.

[gingerdun]

Leisenring and Hidy both used a lot of grizzly hackles that don't exactly have the "glassy" quality, but mimic other attributes of insect appendages. Here is a Pete Hidy Thorax Grizzly Flymph.