Does The Trout need a fly?

[Malcolm]

Pondering whether the old fella would look better if I had a fly a couple of inches above it's nose.

Modelled on "Fachan's" trout of a couple of years ago - before it's demise.

[attachimg=1]

[Wildfisher]

Very nice. I think a fly would make  it even better.

[Otter Spotter]

A traditional Peter Ross would set it off nicely...   :crap

[River Chatter]

A Peter Ross I'll be damned... it's crying out for a kickass Cascade!  :lol:

[Wildfisher]

i was thinking of you could get some purple heart and tap it through a dowel, then match the dowel to a drill bit you could make reddish spots by just drilling and tapping 3mm of the coloured dowel in and trimming flush, bit of ebony would do the eye, if you wanted a white round black halo effect just do the white then re drill to put the black spots on.

I would not  decorate it Alan, it does  not need spots and the like.

Its colour  reminds me of a photo I have  of  an NZ trout Alex caught on our first trip there together  that was coloured like a tench. I think it's great.

I really have to  get into some hobby like that for the drear days of winter that are rapidly bearing down upon us. Fly tying is just not in this kind of league. We have so many superbly talented  people in this community to learn from.

[Buanán]

Well to me that fish looks like it's leaping, so I'd say no the the fly, unless in it's mouth, and suggest having a think about some water drops falling from the fish, made from glass beads or something similar.

[Inchlaggan]

You are going to get more differing answers than you can deal with Malcolm.
Firstly it is a very, very fine piece of work indeed.
Now my tuppence worth.
It don't need spots, but I do think it could do with an eye- not drilled or plugged just carved.
I'd go with the fly argument to provide focus, the grain of the mount gives an excellent impression of water and a leap so it makes sense.
But as you have acheived the entire effect in wood, even the addition of a pefectly tied Peter Ross would (pun intended) upset the balance and draw the eye from the subject. Carving a fly to proportion is going to be a heck of a task, but probably not beyond you.
I'd cheat by turning a dragonfly body from wood on the lathe and cutting the wings from a suitably figured veneer.
But what do I know- hee haw.

Fred- you could take up knitting, bridge or golf through the winter.....

[Wildfisher]

Fred- you could take up knitting, bridge or golf through the winter.....

Of the  three options kitting seems the most attractive. 

[Teither]

Malcolm,
             That excellent piece of work of yours NEEDS nothing more and certainly not a fly. Amateurs, Malcolm, always overdo things . Pay no heed. If you feel persuaded by Inchlaggan's suggestion for an eye do it the way he suggests -and keep it very simple. For me,  I think there's already enough there to suggest an eye. As for dots and spots ... proposals of that kind come from the dotty !! 
   As for what the fish is doing ... leave the viewer to speculate for himself. Encouraging imagination is one of the prime exciters in any art form.

T

[Fishtales]

If you do decide to put a fly in Malcolm I would carve it into the corner just above its head and make it quite small so that the observer has to move in closer to see it : Small things like that draw the viewer into the work. You could even carve it just above and behind the head and as the viewer comes in closer to view it they begin to think, 'is it going for that fly', 'has it just missed it', or 'is it turning to take it' , that all adds to the mystery of the piece.