Silk Color

[paparex]

When using a spinning block what "rule of thumb"dictates what silk color to use?


Rex

[Theroe]

[DOUGSDEN]

Rex,
How nice it is to hear from you again! How have you been?
Silk color is usually determined by the pattern you wish to create! I have been re-reading Skues and he talks about how important it is to have your silk "harmonize" with the fur that you are using to make the pre-spun bodies which are at the heart of flymph tying! This harmonizing was passed down to Jim Liesenring and then to Pete Hidy! Remember that the silk and dubbing look very different (better actually) when wet than they do dry! It is easy to over do it with the dubbing as it may hide the silk at the core of the body! When you hit it right, the right blend or balance of dubbing to silk, it is a marvelous thing! You won't believe the transformation!
I hope this helps!
Dougsden

P.S. There are actually some recipes for making pre-spun fur bodies for the many flymph patterns out there! They can be found in nearly every pattern recipe in "The Art of Tying the Wet Fly and Fishing the Flymph"!

[Mike62]

Rex,
How nice it is to hear from you again! How have you been?
Silk color is usually determined by the pattern you wish to create! I have been re-reading Skues and he talks about how important it is to have your silk "harmonize" with the fur that you are using to make the pre-spun bodies which are at the heart of flymph tying! This harmonizing was passed down to Jim Liesenring and then to Pete Hidy! Remember that the silk and dubbing look very different (better actually) when wet than they do dry! It is easy to over do it with the dubbing as it may hide the silk at the core of the body! When you hit it right, the right blend or balance of dubbing to silk, it is a marvelous thing! You won't believe the transformation!
I hope this helps!
Dougsden

P.S. There are actually some recipes for making pre-spun fur bodies for the many flymph patterns out there! They can be found in nearly every pattern recipe in "The Art of Tying the Wet Fly and Fishing the Flymph"!

Now he tells me...

For the longest time I was overdubbing my bodies. The silk was getting lost, and I wasn't smart enough to make the connection. Then, one day, I was running low on my dubbing mix and the body I twisted up was very sparse. I wrapped it around a hook anyway. The results were nothing less than an epiphany. Lesson learned.

Harmony. It's all about the harmony.

[Roadkill]

I also look at bug sites like http://www.troutnut.com/ for the insects I want to mimic.

The great photos there of various stages and similar species give me something to ponder as well as the local bugs I run across.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

I don't remember where I saw it (I'm old, gimme a break), but someone did a nice photo story of silk colors, both wet and dry, and waxed and not waxed. Wish I could remember where that was. Knowing the color shifts helps immensely.

[letumgo]

Ron - Is this the reference you’re referring to?

LINK: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8416

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Ron - Is this the reference you’re referring to?

LINK: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8416

That's the one. Thank you, Ray. I bookmarked it so I can find it again.