Pete Hidy's Gray Grizzly

[hankaye]

gingerdun, Howdy;

Often said about imatation being the most sincre form of a compliment .....

Solving mysteries, is a fun thing to do ... after all your Dad left you all the clues,
sort of like C.S.I. allow the evidence to speak for itself as opposed to trying to
force a confession ..... Hang in there, you'll soon have the lightbulb ( ),
turned on.

hank

[VERN-O]

Lance....I really loves these.....it is patterns like these that spin around in my head for hours. I especially like your version. Awesome stuff thanks for sharing!

[redietz]

Since this was posted, I have a whole new appreciation for muskrat. I've overlooked the guard hair for too long.

[gingerdun]

Hey guys, thanks for the posts.
When time allows I will try to see if I can find spun bodies that Pete left behind that match some of these flies, especially that muskrat.
I have to wait for work to calm down a little so I can have some fun.

Lance

[Ron Eagle Elk]

How awesome it must be to have those flies in hand to imitate. Well done, Lance. You may call them rougher, I call them slightly different. If your looking for colored wire sold by the gauge sizes, check craft and bead stores.

For the tails, try Heron barbs, or Blue Eared Pheasant barbs. I think they may do the business.

[gingerdun]

Ron,
You and Jeff have convinced me. I am going to start looking for fine-gauge, non-tarnishing wire from sources other than fly shops.
Stay tuned.

Lance

[Mataura mayfly]

Lance, the only thing you might have to watch is that some of the beading wires are stiffer (higher temper?) and less malleable than genuine tying wire. Fine for ribbing, but not as good for wire brushes and the like and harder on scissors.
Either have a reserved set of cheap scissors for wire, use clippers (bought from the same budget store maybe ) designed for trimming fingernails or use the very back of the blades on your good scissors.
Like the new kevlar threads, this wire will trash a good (expensive) pair of scissors in double quick time.

[gingerdun]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the advice. I have a pair of scissors that dropped point-first on the tile floor, and which are now strictly for wire-cutting. The point was too damaged for the fine work.
I have never used wire for spun bodies, mostly because thread seems to work fine, and, I suppose, because my father never used wire for that purpose, and I am influenced by him. Maybe he would have tried wire in place of Pearsall's gossamer if he'd had access to the broader wire selection available today.

What is the thinking behind using wire for spun bodies instead of silk? Is it for tougher, bigger flies, or just as a way to add weight for deeper nymphing?

Lance

[lykos33]

I am a really cheap old fart...there it's been admitted...I took a set of screwed up headsets/ ear phones from an I-Pod, and pulled the wires out...you would not believe how small (thin) those wires are...and it seems different manufacturers use different colors of wire. Might be a way for you to find a really small silver wire for that ribbing...
Murray

[gingerdun]

Hi Murray, you old tightwad-cheapskate,
Recycling wire from discarded electronics makes all kinds of sense, and I think someone else suggested that earlier this year. I think I'll try it. Thanks for the tip.

One of the issues I have with silver wire is that it has turned dark on my Dad's flies, and no longer shines.
I see that some jewelers are using silver-plated copper wire that has been coated with a sealer to prevent tarnishing.
And it does not seem to be too expensive either, until you add in the shipping charge. I think I'll try the local craft supply store.
Here's an example of what I found via Google.
My local fly shop doesn't sell a silver wire in this in-between gauge, #26, that seems perfect for flymphs.

Lance