Moose Pheasant Mole Grouse

[William Anderson]

I'm enjoying all the twisted bodies being posted. This is two moose mane hairs and two pheasant tail herls twisted with the tying thread. Mole thorax and Grouse hackle.





w

[willowhead]

WOW! that's a classy combination.....really buggy, and the segmentation is excellant. KILLER! fly.....extremely well done. Every aspect of the tye is Primo. Although personally.....(and it's just me), i think i'd like it even more (love it as is though), with a tail.....maybe Bronze Mallard.
Just a thought.

[hankaye]

Dub-ya, Howdy;

Smart lookin' fly.

Know that I've asked before, but... do you tye your hackle on at the beginning
by the butt or by the tip and last thing on before the head and tye off?

For me, the novice, and maybe for those to bashful to ask, I will.
What circumstances would prompt you to use this fly? What would be the Keys that you would see or
conditions, weather, amount of flow, type of water (rough or smooth). Things like that.
Probably belongs up in Fishing Wingless Wets section... thought it might make it clearer if it came with the fly...

Thanks,

hank

[DUBBN]

Very impressive fly!

[DNicolson]

I do like that one.

[michaelgmcgraw]

Yep! Nifty fly William

[letumgo]

Is that a Mustad 3906?

Handsome fly, William.

[William Anderson]

Thanks everyone. I tied a few of these that are less consistent but just as bulletproof.

Ray, I don't know. That could be. I was going to ask for a hook I.D. In my obsessive organizing, I pulled about 10 hooks from my selection that I didn't have other sizes to match or any I.D. for. I do like the proportions of this for this fly though. The finish, barb and sides of this look like a Mustad hook to me, but I'm not as familiar with them.

Hank, I wanted to put together a more exhaustive answer for you, complete with pics of naturals that are actually amazing matches for this composition, because I can't think of a more relevant question. The truth is these flies, as you know, and I have to remind myself on a regular basis, are not intended to be anatomically matched to an insect (according to the North Country/Leisenring school as I understand it) (please chime in with differing opinion or more eloquent explaination), but rather to create a impression of the action/movement of the natural. So you have the positive triggers present without creating problems with imitation by trying to produce an anatomical match which lacks the action. So the size, color, texture and some other cues are there, along with the action and length of the hackle. For instance the size and action of a stonefly or mayfly with a brown body and dark mottled wings/legs are represented here, or even a caddis without trying to match the body shape exactly. Trying to create the exact body shape with anatomic features might interfere with the action. Best to avoid that. Stewart did it with size, color and action. Sawyer did it with size, color and shape.

Of course we do try to approximate the body shape often, but it explains how a #10 Partridge and Orange could work as a representation a big fat October Caddis. The size and action, presentation (the right place at the right time in the right manner), and color are there without causing negative triggers that could cause a rejection.

The last time I was out I collected a caddis natural that was on the water. It was a #14 medium tan body with medium brown mottled wings. I looking in my box and found four different flies that were ringers for the match. I took a pic when I got home of the natural with the flies around it, and now I have to find the camera.

I could have just said, it might either represent an imitation of several different insects at a particular time, or it might just make a good exploratory fly as it looks and acts like a lot of food that trout are accustomed to. This tied in 3-4 sizes would be a good idea. Sorry for the simplification. You'd be best served to get answers from several people, which will no doubt have a different flavor. Anyone?

w

[hankaye]

Dub-ya, Howdy;

I understand the part about the "Generalized" impression. I was just asking if there were a time of year like the poem that Mike Connor had stuck on here before he left that rattled off the Months and which are the prefered for each month. Or maybe a type of water that it may work better on than another.

I should learn to phrase my questions into a much more specfic frame when I ask you something. That way you won't feel compelled to get a Power Point Presentation togather .....

For instance the size and action of a stonefly or mayfly with a brown body and dark mottled wings/legs are represented here, or even a caddis without trying to match the body shape exactly. Trying to create the exact body shape with anatomic features might interfere with the action. Best to avoid that. Stewart did it with size, color and action. Sawyer did it with size, color and shape.

Of course we do try to approximate the body shape often, but it explains how a #10 Partridge and Orange could work as a representation a big fat October Caddis. The size and action, presentation (the right place at the right time in the right manner), and color are there without causing negative triggers that could cause a rejection.

The last time I was out I collected a caddis natural that was on the water. It was a #14 medium tan body with medium brown mottled wings. I looking in my box and found four different flies that were ringers for the match. I took a pic when I got home of the natural with the flies around it, and now I have to find the camera.

I could have just said, it might either represent an imitation of several different insects at a particular time, or it might just make a good exploratory fly as it looks and acts like a lot of food that trout are accustomed to. This tied in 3-4 sizes would be a good idea. Sorry for the simplification. You'd be best served to get answers from several people, which will no doubt have a different flavor. Anyone?

w

This explanation is very good, for me. I have a signature that I use on a few other forums goes like this;
"The basics ...ya have to know and understand ...THE BASICS!"
My last ex-wife used to say that I was the most basicest person she ever knew.

I prefer the road less cluttered, more simple ...

hank

[William Anderson]

Hank, I hope my answer isn't as dull as powerpoint. I'm with you on the "less cluttered" philosophy. Your question, having re-read it is perfectly stated, I just failed to follow through. The short answer is this could be fished in the time, place and manner the naturals occur. Having said that, I haven't fished still water with small flies, and I prefer cold streams, so I really don't tie flies for other purposes. I would say, anytime of year you see naturals that resemble the imitation, in any of the places they live. You'll see me in a mid-sized stream fishing these upstream, down and across, down on the bottom following a weighted nymph or floating in the film. Representing whatever behavior the naturals are doing.