FLYMPH FORUM

As luck would have it, I was tying up some Winter Brown's last night, and to say that my heads don't look like NCA's would be an understatement.

To me, this dressing is just about perfect (butt-ugly hook and all )


so I'm curious as to how this head seems to be all "flue," with the quill hidden underneath. Is it a matter of material selection (i.e. high quality herl, probably tied closer to the ends than at the base)? Or is it a matter of "smushing" the wrapped head back away from the eye? Or perhaps there is a trick on how/when the herl is mounted in the first place...

Any thoughts appreciated.

Bear
I’m of the opinion there isn’t any real quality to peacock herl. Sometimes the cheaper stuff wraps better than the supposed quality stuff that is twice the price.
I snap off the last inch from the herl and then gently tie in the remainder by the tip. I also only use one herl for the head. I know Ollie uses two herls on his flies, but they are too bulky for my liking. Even on that one the herl head should be smaller.
I’m getting use to these hooks, so it will take a while to get my proportions just right. I was also tying without the aid of my glasses, so the fly is below my usual standards, as you can see there is a flat spot at the front of the head where you can see the quill.
The peacock herl is wound in first, generally three wraps, brushing the herl fibres back towards the eye after every wrap. Then the hackle is caught in and wrapped, brushing the hackle fibres forward over the eye. I then catch down the hackle and then the body is formed by taking the silk down the hook shank and back up where I finish with a whip finish tight behind the hackle. I also generally untwist my silk before the whip finish so it lies flatter and cuts down the bulk. To finish I then brush the hackle fibres and peacock herl back to the position you can see.
That’s a damn fine hook, it’s just a pity to waste it colonials.

where I finish with a whip finish tight behind the hackle.

Excellent, I'd assumed tying the herl on first was just a vestige from when flies were tied "in-hand," but it really gives you a nice effect. Thanks for elaborating.

BTW, I wish you dalesmen would make up your minds which hooks you want us to use:

Excellent post! Thank you for the detail tying instructions. Will you have photos of the tying sequence in your book?

That fly up top is just beautiful...............the bottom fly is also "very" nice.....obviously, the bottom hook is much more pleasent to look at.........
.....but fish don't care........they just get hungry..........

YES!!!!!!!!!!! the Cardinals have tyed it in the bottom of the 9th.......when they were one strike away from loosing the World Series........

Maybe because I'm only half Colonial that I like the looks of that Classic Spider Hook. Can't wait to get my hands on some.

REE

We Yorkshiremen like to keep you on your toes and buying hooks
I have always used straight eyed hooks for spiders and general wet flies, as I feel there are large benefits to the straight eyed profile when it comes to hook ups.
I always smile when I hear people talk about Alex Jackson hooks as I know the real hook company that makes them and their originality. The classic spider hooks have been purposely designed for spiders. It took us over two years to get the profile and proportions just right.
You wouldn't believe the comments Partridge got from the first prototype.
The book will have tying diagrams of the various tying sequences and also the different tips and tricks you can use. Not all the tricks though, as that would be telling

A work in progress, but I think they're starting to look more like spiders and less like Letort Crickets...

VERY VERY Beautiful.........

CB,

Very nicely done.

REE