FLYMPH FORUM

This fly was mounted in the framed set of 22 favorite flies that Jim Leisenring gave to Charley Rethoret, the proprietor of Hotel Rapids in 1941. The set was in the collection of Bernie Pociask who kindly let me scan them.

I have an obviously dumb question. I know Stewarts Red Spider is a popular fly, but what in the photo derives it to be called a Red Spider? Looks more beige to me.

Well, I think we all have the same question. And did you ever see any blue in a blue dun feather, or in a bluetick hound?
I'm guessing British farmer/fly-tiers had developed an alternative way of referring to color in their livestock, dogs, and poultry. Their unconventional color vocabulary lingers today among animal breeders and fly-tiers. Does anyone have a better explanation?

yes and yes

if you look closely, there is a red tinge to the hackle.

FWIW, Stewarts Black Spider is one of THE most KILLING patterns you can carry.....watch the Ollie Edwards video found online - it is excellent.

Dana

and a BIG THANK YOU to Lance for posting this !!!!!!

Edit: I couldn’t help but notice that the Primrose colored silk in lances photograph is much lighter and Hugh due to the nature of the photographs. Quite possibly the same could be true for the red hackle...

Stewart most likely tied it with a red feather. I believe his spiders are named for the color of the feather not the silk. He used a Landrail feather, Frances Walbran in his 1889 description of the red spider called for yellow silk hackled with a Landrail's red feather.

Landrail wing on the right; chukar tail on the left.

I was just posting the same image. Thanks Bill.

The landrail wing upper covert feathers appear to have a rusty red color to them.

From Wikipedia:

“When used to describe natural animal coloration, "red" usually refers to a brownish, reddish-brown or ginger color. In this sense it is used to describe coat colors of reddish-brown cattle and dogs, and in the names of various animal species or breeds such as red fox, red squirrel, red deer, European robin, red grouse, red knot, redstart, redwing, red setter, Red Devon cattle, etc. This reddish-brown color is also meant when using the terms red ochre and red hair.”

That redish brown to ginger color is common in barnyard chickens, heritage of the red jungle fowl and it shouldn't hard to find a suitable sub. It is just that on my monitor the fly in the picture has the hackle almost the same color as the primrose thread, more of a cream or straw color.

Thanks for posting it, gingerdun. It's always great to see the proportions and densities that historic tyers used.

O.k., I see the reddish ting to the hackle now. And everyone's explanation makes sense, so I thank you all for sharing your info on that.

You all are posting flies so often I can't keep up. Which really is a good thing for me so I can learn new flies.