Monday, December 29, 2014

Showshoe & UV Finish Emergers


The flies above are the result of some experimentation I've done with #16 Klinkhamer hooks and snowshoe hare's feet wings. Both bodies were finished using Loon's Clear UV Finish - Thin. On the left, I spiral-wrapped dun WonderWrap with UV Pearl Flashabou wrapped between the WonderWrap spirals. On the right, I used a grizzly hackle quill. The idea is that the bodies will easily sink below the surface, with the super-boyant showshoe hare keeping them afloat in the surface film.

Griffith's Gnat



Hook: Standard Dry #14-24 (Mustad 94849 #18 shown)
Thread: Black 70 denier
Body: Peacock Herl
Hackle: Grizzly, palmered

Monday, December 15, 2014

Grizzly Crazy 8


This is a bit of an experiment that I worked on over the weekend. I used some traditional techniques and materials, modern poly yarn, and what I think is a new or at least odd-ball hackling technique to come up with what you see above. I tied the fly with two different hackling techniques (comparisons below). For my first tie, I wrapped the hackle in figure 8s around the poly wings creating an unruly ball of hackle, reminiscent of a hackle stacker, but above and below the hook. On my second fly, I posted both poly wings and wrapped the hackle parachute-style around each wing separately. 

Hook: #12 standard dry
Thread: white 70 denier
Tail: 3 black-barred white Hareline Mayfly Tails (micro fibbets)
Body: stripped grizzly hackle quill, laquered with Loon UV resin
Wings: white poly yard tied spent
Hackle: #12 grizzly hackle tied figure 8 (or double parachute)

Double-parachue

Figure 8



Figure 8s on left, parchutes on right


Classic Adams



Hook: #12 standard dry
Thread: olive 70 denier
Wing: grizzly hackle tips
Tail: mixed grizzly & brown hackle fibers
Body: Adams Gray Super Fine Waterproof Dry Fly Dubbing
Hackle: mixed grizzly #12 & brown #14

Monday, December 1, 2014

Red Quill

Red Quill
Hook: #12 dry
Thread: 70 denier blue dun
Tail: dark dun hackle fibers
Body: stripped quill from Rhode Island Red rooster hackle
Hackle: dark dun
Wing: wood duck