Tups Indispensable

[DUBBN]

Here is a #16 Tups I was tying today for some Christmas Elves...
My Tups dubbing is a Merino Wool blend- 1 part Red, 2 of Yellow and 5 of Cream colored.

IMGP1189 by William Lovelace, on Flickr

Elegant!

[DarrellP]

I posted this earlier. A Tups using "Tup's pink Seal" from Feathercraft.

[Terrestrial12]

I love tups threads! The tups is a rabbit hole all its own and I always get excited when the topic pops up. I even tie them far to large (size 10) and on a curved shank klink style hook and find they make excellent panfish flies. I believe my Christmas swap recipient got one. But I have a question....I pulled the art of the wet fly off the shelf last night and was flipping trough it and noticed something I hadn't ever noticed before, and that I may be dressing mine "wrong" when following lisenring's pattern. In the recipe he lists only 2 things for the abdomen and to be halved. The working silk, and the buttonhole twist. You tie in the twist behind the shoulder, leave your working thread and only advance the buttonhole twist using it to tie in your tail to give it better translucency. Here's where i may be going wrong....when you wind the buttonhole twist back up to the shoulder, tie it off and snip away the extra, I then dub the working silk and form the thorax. But lisenring mentions a THIRD tie in to form the thorax with only 2 materials listed. Does this indicate he has spun his tups blend into a rope like a flymph fur body? I hope this makes sense. If not please revisit the dressing in the book and help me clarify. Thanks!

[Terrestrial12]

My offering....

[DUBBN]

T12,

I always have a few Tups in my box when Spring arrives. I have tied quite a few variations, and do well with all.

Yours is a good looking pattern.

[DOUGSDEN]

T-12,
Ditto to what Wayne said above! Your offering is awesome! I have quite a few variations in my box as well and each one of them fishes well! This theme seems to have universal appeal! What a great pattern!
Doug

[dj1212]

Enjoying this thread. I have another question. What hackle color do you like for your Tups? If it's the yellow spangled dun where did you ever find it? Thanks.

Doug J.

[Terrestrial12]

dj-if I'm tying one to take a picture of or tying them flymph style I use pale honey dun. For just a fishin fly I use light blue dun or cream.

[DUBBN]

Since the subject of the Tups came up again, I thought I would throw together some dubbing and tie some variants.

I have an old Metz hen cape in a dark creamy Badger. I have been using it for collared Euro Nymphs. I like the looks of it for a Tups variation.

I threw a half dozen together. That should last me a year, as the Partridge and Yellow pretty much replaced the Tups as my work horse pattern for the PMD and Yellow Sally hatches.

[Variant]

Dubbin,
I like your variant very much!

Lou