Stewart's Spider

[William Anderson]

or maybe a variation, but honestly, when have I tied a standard and hit it right on?

This is tied in by the stem, wrapped toward the bend and tied off and finished at the bend. That's where the tradition ends however as this is tied with Griffith's 14/0 and the hackle is palmered back rather than spun and wrapped with the tying thread. Maybe a dozen ways to tie such a simple pattern, and I'm not married to any of them.

[joaniebo]

Bill

I often tie in starling hackles by the stem and really like the way the fuzzy stuff adds to the fly. Nice dressing.

Bob

[William Anderson]

Thanks, Bob. I like to get the dun shades in the first and second wrap on these. This one was more unique but probably the first of the batch I would put on my leader. I like this whispy, webby hackle.

[Smuggler]

Fancy!

[Hans Weilenmann]

Interesting pattern, William.

The design made me think Stewart meets Catskills. Can you tell me a bit more of the design chosen?

Curious in Amstelveen,
Hans W

[tie2fish]

With the possible exception of having a little less durability, this construction looks to be every bit as effective as the traditional style. Perhaps even more so, as the barbs are completely free to wiggle. A very nice pattern, William, tied with your unmistakable skills.

[Roadkill]

Beautiful fly William!!

I prefer to tip tie at the hook midpoint, twist, and wrap forward since Iam not tying on a blind eye hook with a gut or hair leader out front.

Thread and one feather emphasize the simplicity of fly tying just as thread color and a piece of monofilament can make a deadly midge.

[chase creek]

Probably my favorite pattern, W.
Very nicely tied. Really like the hook choice, and the "fuzzies".

[William Anderson]

Interesting pattern, William.

The design made me think Stewart meets Catskills. Can you tell me a bit more of the design chosen?

Curious in Amstelveen,
Hans W

Hans, I'm not sure you're going to like this answer. I wish I could say there was a definite design intention and if you look carefully you'll notice how I achieved x by doing x. That would be satisfying. The truth is I have a few Stewart's spiders left over from a dozen different tying sessions where I felt compelled to create a row of these for a box. They are all a little different, probably based on which thread was on the bobbin and which hooks I found first. Not exactly inspiring fly design stuff. I like to tie these with brown Pearsall's silk for the black spiders, and when I do I like to twist the hackle with the thread in a traditional way. On this particular fly, and for this session I was tying the pattern toward the center of the hook shank, leaving a bit of space at the front. The fact that the fly is finished at the bend rather than the eye just highlights the fact that there is no head on this fly and it does have that stylized Catskill head as you noted. There's really no function to the design here, other than the desired result of a wildly active pattern, putting the priority on the action.

As Bill pointed out, by palmering such a fragile feather without reinforcement, it makes for a less durable fly. It does maximize the action of each fiber, but honestly, I've fished every variation and they all work. Maybe bringing the thread back up through the hackle and tying off at the eye would be a better design. If I were to suggest to someone a method for tying this pattern, I would certainly point out that for some tiers durability is higher on their list of criteria. No doubt in a few days I'll be pining for some time on the water and will tie a dozen spiders. If history is any indication I'll likely explore an alternate strategy.

They all work to the point that I rely on this pattern as much as a P&O or a tan flymph.

This one looks more like the others from previous sessions. Tied off at the bend but oriented toward the front of the hook rather than centered.




This pale version is one of my favorites. Tied off at the eye.

[DOUGSDEN]

William,
I read with great interest your responses and comments about this venerable pattern. You are so right in saying that every variation catches fish in nearly every situation! The versatility of this pattern cannot be overstated! The method of tying this pattern, as you have demonstrated and commented on, is really varied and each one of us has our preferences having to do with durability and the right look. The latter being in our heads mostly!
I am particularly smitten with the last tan spider. You know my fondness for this color variation! I like the way you have it tied on the hook! Simple....and simply deadly!
A fantastic post W. I just can't get enough of your style and your ethic concerning these beautiful patterns! Wow!
Doug