Badger & Woodduck

[Hans Weilenmann]

Badger & Woodduck
Hook: Grip 14723BL #14
Thread: Benecchi 12/0, black
Hackle: Badger, dark
Rib: Wire, silver fine
Body: Woodduck flank barbs

Note: Woodduck flank barbs make for a wonderful body material, with the subtle earthy coloration common to many bugs and the black/white barred section suggesting the darker thorax.

Cheers,
Hans W

[Mataura mayfly]

Very cool.
I have tried the same with Mallard hen flank, a little more drab than "earthy" of the Woodduck, but my thinking was along the same lines. Not as well tied nor photographed....... but the thought was there.
Not having used Woodduck a lot, I have to ask, did you tie in at the butt end of the feather barbs and wrap forward up the hook shank with the tip area (black barred) area forming the thorax? Kind of a reverse from a Pheasant tail style fly where the tips form the tails.

[Hans Weilenmann]

Not having used Woodduck a lot, I have to ask, did you tie in at the butt end of the feather barbs and wrap forward up the hook shank with the tip area (black barred) area forming the thorax? Kind of a reverse from a Pheasant tail style fly where the tips form the tails.

I did - though the tier has both options available. Tying in by the tip near the eye and wrapping back guarantees that the dark part gets used, but is not quite as neat tying off/trimming at the bend. I opted to tie in the butt and wrap towards the eye.

[hankaye]

Hans, Howdy;

Great looking fly. Wouldn't happen to have a video up your sleeve
would ya??? The brain between my ears isn't grasping the concept
of this body wrap.
Thanks for your consideration.

hank

[Hans Weilenmann]

The brain between my ears isn't grasping the concept
of this body wrap.

Hank,

Help me to understand where the disconnect is - please.

Tear or cut a few barbs off feather stem. Tie in, wrap to cover the shank the desired length, tie off. Trim excess.

Help me to understand, so I can try to resolve.

Cheers,
Hans W

[hankaye]

Hans, Howdy;

Nothing you do or say is the problem.
Simply put my brain doesn't gasp written directions very well and some times not at all.
That circuitry is incomplete. I can sit/stand and read a how to do something and I
can understand it, just can not implement it. The translator from reading to the
doing malfunctions. So, for me to understand 'how to do' many things requires me to see it done
so I can then do it myself. Monkey see monkey do principle.
Again, it's not anything you are doing/saying or not doing/saying, It's poor circuitry on my end.

hank

[Mataura mayfly]

Nothing wrong with your circuitry Hank, it just means that you are a Kinesthetic learner. As a teacher of apprentices of a trade for many years I saw a lot of similar folk, I really enjoyed teaching them the trade as they picked things up just fine by actively doing it, often only having to be shown a task once and it was understood and stored to memory for future use. Booksmart kids could often produce wonderful detailed drawings of the task at hand, could plan a sequence out and survey quantities from plans with aplomb, but often the finished article was neater from the first guy.
On a "new build" a mixture of both types was good to have, some to plan and decipher plans/drawings to set things out and others to build, but come to a repair or restoration then the kenisthetic learner won hands down.
Maybe a shot by shot would suit just as well as a video?

[hankaye]

Mataura mayfly, Howdy;

I could take the easy road and say my Mum smoked and drank whilst preg. with me.
Is true enough, but I rather place the blame on Dad, he came home one evening,
told me to mark off a 3'X6' rectangle on the kitchen wall above the table.
So I broke out the tape measure, level, and a pencil. When it was measured out
I was told to make a frame with mitered ends for it with the molding he brought
home also. Before I installed the frame I was instructed to apply some 'special' pale
green paint to the area inside the penciled border. Once the paint was dry I was told
to install the molding, but with the bottom with what would be the inside facing upwards.
Thereafter, when one of us would attempt to describe anything to him he'd reach to the tray
(the bottom piece), retrieve a piece of chalk and utter the phrase "Draw me a picture."

Oh yea, step-by-steps work fine, just a frame-by-frame movie

hank