FLYMPH FORUM

Hook: 14 Veniard long-shank mayfly, UE
Silk: primrose
Hackle: light ginger hen or pale honey dun
Body: creamy fox and natural sheep's wool spun on Clark block with primrose
Tail: same as hackle
Rib: none

This is an awkward attempt to match my father's tying style from the 1960s and 1970s. I should have used a longer tail.
He left behind several hundred of these hooks, so I feel OK about using them. Hard to find them these days.

I think you have captured the spirit of your father's style very accurately, Lance. This is not at all awkward to my eyes, and could easily pass for one of your Dad's flies.

Well tied and worthy of any fly box. In a blind test I doubt if 99.9% of tiers could tell that it isn't Pete's fly.

Lance - I am surprised to see how dark the tag-area (back end) is, concidering you used primrose colored silk. Is the darkening a result of the wax that was used?

Remarkably close to your fathers style, btw. Love it!

Yep, could have used a longer tail but other than that ...exquisite example.

I have noticed something about these hooks. In WC Stewart's Practical angler he gives a description and small illustration of the best relationship between the eye of the hook and the angle of the point for hooking purposes. These fall into that category and I have found many do not today. The relationship he describes is a straight line that goes through the direction of pull you would expect from the eye. Although there was no eye, the relationship is more concerned with the bend of the hook and direction of pull. A straight line of pull from the eye should give the point of the hook a very small angle of penetration. His illustration shows about a 15 degree angle. A lot of hooks are more of 30-45 which he thinks leads to the point being dragged across the flesh of the mouth as opposed to being hooked. They both will hook he states but the sharper angle is more proficient. The funny thing is that he compares a round bend to a limerick bend. The hook you show I believe is a limerick bend. The difference though, is that it is an extra long, so this changes that angle. I don't know if this has any merit but just something that crossed my mind.
Compare that angle to a Patridge spider hook. I don't think Stewart would be fond of this partridge hook. Even though it may be the shape we my be very tempted to tie one of his spiders on. By the way it is a round perfect bend.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.
Ray, yes, the primrose turns olive when waxed.
Carl, that theory about hook physics is a new one to me. Thanks for the cool diagrams.

Dad never said why he liked these long-shank mayfly hooks, but maybe he subscribed to Stewart's theory. He did say that he liked up-eyes because they swim more naturally when tied to the tippet with the turle knot. (He called it the Turtle Knot.)

Bob Dietz pointed out that the turle knot was best for gut, but less secure with nylon leaders. But in his Sports Illustrated book Pete wrote that nylon works fine if you tuck the loose end of the tippet back through the loop a second time. That holds fast. It was the only knot he used as long as I knew him.

BTW, Carl, That Williams Favorite is a little gem.

Thanks.

The turle knot would most likely slightly decrease that angle even more I would think.

Beautiful tying there Lance, it does look like your dad's tying to me! Was this tied with hen or rooster though?

Kelly L. wrote:Beautiful tying there Lance, it does look like your dad's tying to me! Was this tied with hen or rooster though?

Thanks, Kelly.
The hackle is hen.

Hi Lance,

Very well tyed, It reminds me directly to the other pictures you placed on this forum.

Like Ray I did see the dark tag from the waxed primrose. Did you use cobbelers wax or normal uncolored wax and do you make the colour by purpose so dark??


Wondred why the dubbing was not with a dark silkthread. Did you use other wax on the dubbingblock??

Greeting