Tippet Teaser

[letumgo]

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Tippet Teaser
Hook - Mustad Model 94842 / Size 12
Thread - Purple Pearsall's Gossamer Silk
Hackle - Golden Pheasant Tippets (dyed Hot Orange)
Abdomen - Purple Pearsall's Gossamer Silk
Thorax - Two pieces of Peacock Herl (reinforced in a silk dubbing loop)

Note on the Golden Pheasant Tippet Fiber Hackle - I tyed it in while the tips were even & had the tips facing out over the eye of the hook. I sized them so that they are roughly the length of the hook shank. The tippet fibers are tyed in using a distribution wrap (sort of like spinning deer hair). Once the body & thorax are finished, the tippet fibers are pushed back towards the thorax with my thumb nail and a small silk thread head is formed to hold the tippet fibers backwards. The tippet fibers are somewhat stiffer than a typical soft hackle fibers, but still quite flexible. Once they are wet, they become quite flexible.

[willowhead]

Way WAY Cool........i usually just wrap a tippet feather (using it as a soft hackle), like any other feather.........but i'll try it your way to see how it goes. That "spinning" technique is fun actually. Lawrence Finny does that with some of his flies. He showed it to me when we were tyin' flies in the bar of the hotel in England one night. i'll have to check again and see if he demos that on my site.....if not, i'll get him to do a video of that and post it on my site. It's very cool how he does it. Your flies are gorgeous Bro.

[letumgo]

"tyin' flies in the bar"

Now that's inspirational!

[willowhead]

Yeah, man that was a GAS GAS GAS. (rollin' stone.....know-what-i-mean?)........we had just finished settin' up over at the show and we had yet to eat in the hotel resturant.....(which turned out to be a complete surprise..........the food was GREAT.....and in England that's VERY hard to find ).....so we went to the bar first and Lawrence says, you wanna tye.....so naturally i say HELL Yes! So we tyed for a couple hours before we had dinner.....drinkin' pints all the while..... Even Misako got into it.....both the tyin' and havin' a Pint. Lawrence is a ton-o-fun.
Btw.....i got a package of hooks for you to try.....Gamakatsu L11S-3H Salmon, Steelhead, 3X Strong size 2. Shoot my an addy to mail 'em to.

[letumgo]

Sweet! Mark I sent you a PM. Much appreciated!

[willowhead]

Nothin' to it. Yur gonna love 'em.....same hook i used for Jim Slattery's swap over at Foxy's site. Only i used a size 10 for that. Be carefull they are very sharp. Great steelhead hook.

[DOUGSDEN]

Ray,
What a feast for the eyes! These are awesome! The colors are so bright and vibrant!
When I first glance at the photo's, my small brain wants to say ...dragonfly. Wet dragonfly!
Has anyone ever done a wet version of the neon creatures that hang around everyones waters?
I know that this wasn't your intent but again the quick glance gives me that impression. I do know that the longer I look at them, the better they get. Wonderful job Ray. Please post on a reg. basis. It's cool to tune in often to your creative side.
Dougsden

[letumgo]

This is a pattern I have intended to "upscale" for steelhead fishing, for some time now. The color scheme is odd, but somehow I like it. I think it would work on an Alec Jackson hook...

[willowhead]

Ray, BRILLIANT! almost as good as a Guines..... serioulsy.....that whole concept of upscalling a good colorful Trout fly, and adapting it for Steelies is the coolest fun. i am INTO that.....btw, i get Daiichi hooks for free and have a crap load of Alec Jackson hooks.....if you need them, i can throw in a selection for you.....in every size and every color. Be my pleasure.

[AaronH]

Hot dang Ray. Had to go get my sunglasses! The wild brooks and/or rainbows should go crazy for a munchkin like that. Good job!

Aaron Hirschhorn