Hedgehog (The Hot Arsed Leggy Claret Kind)

[sandyborthwick]

Nice looking useful flies Steve, have never tied or used them but think I'll have to get the vice out before arriving in Orkney this year. Nothing like a local insight into what goes best. Good SBS by the way - very clear pics and easy to follow.

Sandy B.O.

[just_steven]

Cheers Sandy 

I wouldn't dream of going fishing at home without a good selection of hogs.
A selection of peachy/orange, claret and olive would be my main colours, but I would also have some red, yellow, haresear and maybe a few bibio ones thrown in for good measure.
I've often fished Hundland with a team of 3 hogs with great success!

All the best

Steve

[Allan Crawford]

I haven't tried tying hedgehogs as yet but will give it a go with the help of your excellent pictures.

Thanks

[mike mac]

Nice flies Steve thought you had missed a straggle version until I had another look at the pictures :lol:

[just_steven]

Thanks again guys. 

You should certainly give them a shot. The deer hair can be a bit tricky to start with due to it wanting to spin (you should see the other side of the fly :shock: :lol: ), but stick with it. I'm sure i'm not the only Orcadian who has a box just for their hedgehogs!

That's only one of many "Stragglers" Mike! You should see my Blob hog and Booby hog though!  :roflmao

I can't remember if you did Noel...  :roll: :lol:

Steve

[Wildfisher]

Biggest problem I have tying these Headley hogs    :stir is  getting the length of the bunches right as I tie them in. Any tips?

[just_steven]

The best tip I could give is:-

Give Stan a shout!  :allhail  :tongue2  :lol: :lol:

When you take the hair out of the stacker. Take a hold of just the mearest tips (with your left hand) this allows you to tie the tail in fairly short (3-4mm). For me, the tail bunch is probably the sparsest bunch, but once you have it tied in and at the "right" length, just use it as a guide for the next bunch.
When you offer up the next bunch, the tips should almost be on top/in line of the previous bunch. When you put the thread wraps on the 2nd, 3rd... bunch, the thread (and then dubbing) naturally pulls the hair slightly forward and cocks it up a bit.
For me the final bunch also tends to be fairly sparse and usually slightly shorter too.
Like anything in fly tying though, it basically comes down to practise, practise, practise. You eventually just get the feel for the "right" amount of deer hair in each bunch and where to tie the bunch in so you get the "right" taper/shape to the fly.

When I say "right" I mean what looks good and what works for you.

There's no right and wrong in fly tying there's just different! 

Steve

[The General]

As I said in a previous thread.  Gerry (Artifly)(Storr) was good enough to come round to my house and show
me the ways with deer hair.   A couple of tips he gave me was, if the deer hair had a tendency to move away from you
when tying it down then start with the hair a bit nearer you and that way it should stack on the top.   When you have tied
the deer hair down with two turns then take the next turn under the stubs of the deer hair and that helps secure it even more.
Also you need to be aware that deer hair on a bare hook will spin no matter how you try not too.   You must have thread on the
hook to keep it in one place,  you can wet the thread to make it even more secure.  You have to be careful with the type of
thread you use as it can have a tendency to cut right thru the deer hair.

Your sbs is excellent Steve (good photos  :lol:)
Davie

[lochstyle]

Hi All,
If a remember correctly Mr Headley recommends approximately 34 strands of deer hair for the required wing bunches ....please dont count them every time use it as a guide after the first bunch!! 
Tell you one Hedgehog a do like claret bodied one with last third of red seals fur, it was an original pattern of Sandy Nicholson the flies creator absolutely deadly!!

Lochstyle