Red & Brown Spider

[GlassJet]

Just playing...



Red & Brown Spider by GlassJet, on Flickr

Hook: #14 wet fly. Silk: Pearsall's yellow, well waxed. Body: Dyed Argentinian hare's fur, blend of brown and tan, with a touch of claret seal's fur, dubbed sparsely into split thread. Rib: fine copper wire. Thorax: red argentinian hare's fur, with a touch of crimson seal's fur. Hackle: red / brown soft feather cock.

Andrew.

[letumgo]

Love it! Beautiful buggy-looking fly, Andrew. I'd fish that with confidence.

[DOUGSDEN]

Andrew,
Simply elegant! The years have taught us all that the more sparsley dressed the pattern,
the better they kill. This one is beautiful and in my home waters it would kill well.
Teach me thy ways.....
Dougsden

[Old Hat]

A beautiful pattern Andrew with a nice combination of colors. Would make a nice march brown around here.

[GlassJet]

thanks folks.
Fished this today and didn't get any joy. I was surprised, I would have put money on this catching. But, I fished it on the point with a Greenwell's Spider on a single dropper, which picked up everything.

I wonder if I might have been better tying it on a lighter hook and fishing it in the surface, as with the hare's ear spider I've just posted? Dunno. Will give it another go though.

Btw - I never cease to be amazed by the effectiveness of the Greenwell's Spider. Somebody said, when I tied it up on a short shank hook, that if anything it would fish better. I think it was REE. Bizarrely, that does seem to be the case - though I have no idea why!

Andrew.

[hankaye]

Did ya try it with anything else or solo?

Maybe putting it up against such a strong killer it just didn't get the chance it needed?

What do I know ...nuttin' ... absolutly NUTTIN'.

Never put 2 of anything on a fishin line.
I'm confused enough ... please don't add to it with a collection of facts.

[mvendon]

Hi Andrew,

I just have to ask what kind/model of camera are you useing for these pic's? The last several that you've posted have a sparkle on your clip that I really haven't seen on the more than several forums that I frequent every day? The focus and color is also very clear and crisp as well. If your enhancing them useing photoshop or some other tool, it's no big deal either. I'd just like to know how your taking the pictures and what you use?

Regards,
Mark

[GlassJet]

Hi Andrew,

I just have to ask what kind/model of camera are you useing for these pic's? The last several that you've posted have a sparkle on your clip that I really haven't seen on the more than several forums that I frequent every day? The focus and color is also very clear and crisp as well. If your enhancing them useing photoshop or some other tool, it's no big deal either. I'd just like to know how your taking the pictures and what you use?

Regards,
Mark

Hi Mark,
I'm using a Canon 450D body, and lighting with two angle poise lamps with daylight balanced bulbs in them. I shoot in RAW format, and I don't try to 'enhance' the colours as such, but correct them to as is - to my eye of course (and my monitor remember) which may well warm them up a bit. I also 'sharpen' the image during processing - about half to 3/4 on the scale. So in that sense I do enhance the image, I suppose...

The real secret though is the lens. I recently invested in a Canon 100mm USM macro lens, which is utterly brilliant. It is a beautiful portrait lens, right down to photographing these tiny flies. But, you don't get anything for nothing, and this lens was over £500! Photography is not remotely democratic - the more money you throw at it, the better the results - all else being equal.

Here is a portrait shot taken with the lens:


Loki, two year old saluki boy by GlassJet, on Flickr

The trouble with this lens is that it has made me totally dissatisfied with my others, the quality of the image is so much better. But to replace my 300mm telephoto with a lens of the same quality would cost me well over a thousand pounds! Oh well, I can dream...

Back to the flies: I keep meaning to build a light box (just a cardboard box with the panels cut out and something like tracing paper stuck in the windows). Lighting through this would cut out the glint on the hackle pliers, and hookshank, for instance. I may get round to it one day, but it makes the whole thing a bit more of an effort. Maybe if the magazines ever pay me enough, I will!

Have I gone on a bit? Sorry - can be a bit of an anorak about photography! Not difficult though: summary: use tripod, maximum depth of field possible (biggest f number - I shoot at f39 IIRC) use either natural light or at least one daylight balanced bulb, and chuck a shed-load of money at your equipment

~Andrew.
edited to say: shoot at f29, not f39, sorry! lol Did I mention I wasn't very technical?