Pete Hidy's Gray Grizzly

[gingerdun]

Dad left behind many flies that were gray or nearly colorless.
Some were on cards with hastily written notes, never intended for eyes other than his own.
To make matters worse, this particular card is water damaged. Oh well.
Evidently there once had been a second fly on the card, a hare's ear on olive silk.

I have added a hi-res scan of the fly on the card, followed by two much coarser flies by myself, inspired, obviously, by Dad's.
I need to find wire that is a little finer than what I've been using.
This tinsel is not right, but I like working with it.
My grizzly hen hackles were taken out of his stash that is now probably 50 years old.
I had a new grizzly hen neck, but my dog ate the whole thing.

Lance

[hankaye]

gingerdun, Howdy;

Thanks for the blast from the past...
Like your tyes as well. Would the numbers
26 Silver and 27 Gold be wire gauge numbers?
As opposed to the simpler modern method of
saying extra fine, med. or heavy ?????
Just thinkin' with my fingers again

hank

[gingerdun]

Hi Hank,
You're probably right about the wire numbers, but I really don't know for sure.
Maybe someone here can tell us.

L

[Stendalen]

Great flies. Thanks!

Martin

[Mataura mayfly]

Great to see the original, but great to see the new tyings as well. Give it 50 years down the track and our grandkids may be marvelling at your offerings Lance.

I think hank may be on to something with the wire gauge. Most the Asian wire I get from craft and beading shops is still sold under the gauge identification. For #10-16 I aim for #24-32 gauge wires.

[DOUGSDEN]

Lance,
Good Morning! I love it when you post these gems from your dad and then add your own offerings to the mix. It is masterfully done and sooo very interesting to all of us forum nuts who can't get enough of the rich history that you bring with each entry!
I would say that Hank is square on with the wire gauges. Years ago, wire diameters were commonly stated in gauges rather than thousandths. There should be a revision of this across the industry (flytying that is) rather than fine, med., heavy, etc.
Your offerings look fantastic! They would be no less effective if tossed upon the water than your dad's patterns. By the way, how do they do for you when you fish them?
Always curious but mostly nosey,
Dougsden

[chase creek]

This is why I keep hangin' out here - the history is fascinating.
All really fine work. Amazing how some things survive the test of time, while others seem to fall by the wayside.
50 years, and I'd be proud to have a row of those in my flybox.

[gingerdun]

Martin, Jeff, Doug, Rodger,
Thanks for the kind words, and the insights into the wire gauge notation that Hank commented on.
I'll start looking around for finer wire in the 26-27 gauge range.
Doug, good to hear from you again. I haven't been out on the water much lately.
My fishing buddy has been distracted too, but now he is in Oregon fishing for cutthroat. I hope I can get him to go out with me a few more times before the season ends.

I have more of these flymph cards of Dad's, so I'll post them once in a while as I find time to try to imitate his ties.
The amazing thing is that they look so plain and drab at first glance, but once you start investigating how they were made, they become rich and complex. But we all know that, which is part of the appeal of this forum.

Lance

[tie2fish]

All good, Lance. As noted by others, your sharing of the things left by your Dad is priceless, and the patterns you are inspired to produce as a result are treasures on their own merits.

[CreationBear]

Ah yes, that first fly is a modern classic to my eyes, especially "stretched" on that long iron.