What have you tied today?

[Wildfisher]

we're not after making models   

[attachimg=1]

first attempt at a detached foam body  parachute mayfly.

[Ian_M]

Thats a fine looking model fly.

[Wildfisher]

Thats a fine looking model fly.

ee bah goom lad yer in trooble now 

[Ian_M]

we're not after making models

I try to keep this sentiment in mind whem my dismal efforts at the vice don't meet my expectation.

We have some very good tiers on this forum and it's great to see their efforts.

[.D.]

Col,

After my experiences in New Zealand and having recently read a book by Lou Stevens about fly fishing for all types of freshwater fish  I am  more and more of the mind that terrestrials are the answer to summer?s   so called   ? dog days? . Certainly when fishing the likes of the Caithness lochs in summer and autumn daddies, hoppers etc  seemed to  do the business.

I don't use specific terrestrial patterns anywhere near as much as I think I should.

Here's one (tied today) I tried once or twice last year, Scott Sanchez' Mega Beetle:




I quite like it - it looks quite stupid, but it always floats the right way up. Easier to see, and quicker to tie than some.

Looks as much like a fly as a beetle, but hey...we're not after makin' models.

Cheers,

.D.

[Wildfisher]

.D.  how did you tie in the hackle?

[.D.]

After dubbing the underbody , everything happens on the spot.
Tie in the foam body with quite a few thread wraps , then tie in the legs (Madam X style), then tie in the foam indicator. Then secure the hackle stem in the gap between the tie -down points for the legs and the indicator. Wrap a few turns of hackle round the base of the indicator foam and then....

....secure the hackle with a couple of turns round the shank (not the post), going through the two halves of the foam post. Then take the thread to the eye and do the whip finish there.

A bit of superglue before dubbing the underbody helps stop everything  rotating round the shank. I put a little dab more on the underside of the bit where everything is tied down too, on completion.

Cheers,

.D.

[Ian_M]

Inspired by the grand efforts of our forum members I eventually dragged myself to the vice. Now the last time I tied would be August 2008 or thereabouts so fingers are a bit rusty.  I have really liked the quill body flies tied I think mainly by Col so decided to have a go at these.

The first is tied with the stripped stalk of a ginger hackle. The second with the shorts side of a goose primary wing feather and the last with claret flexifloss. Getting started is the hard part, so I'm up and running.

[paulr]

They're great Ian, you wouldn't think you hadn't tied in a while.
I especially like the first one,it would make a good olive emerger.
Keep 'em comin.

cheers

Paul

[Ian_M]

i would never have thought about putting the deerhair wing that way round on a curved hook

Never thought much about the wing, I was just keen to try the quill bodies. It's something I like the look of.  I also like the flexifloss material.  Years ago I used to tie bodies with elastic taken from golf balls.  An underbody of fluo floss gave some nice effects.