Horsehair Overcoat

[letumgo]

These flies are all tyed with an overwrap of stallion horsehair (thanks REE). Horse has a beautiful shiny translucent look to it. The hair is semi-clear, which allows some of the underlying color to show through. The fiber reminds me a lot of polarbear hair. Both of them reflect the light beautifully. I tyed a few flies with different color silk (chestnut brown, gold and pale olive). As you move the fly around in your hand, the color of the body shows more or less of the underlying color. From some angles they are shiny, while at other angles they look like a paler version of the underlying color. Seems to create an impression of a translucent insect body. Take a look.


Same flies wet:


Tying Materials
Hook - Mustad R50 (Size 12)
Thread - Pearsall's Gossamer Silk (Chestnut Brown 32, Gold 6A, Light Olive 20)
Abdomen (Underwrap) - Tying silk
Abdomen (Overwrap) - Horsehare (natural clear white)
Thorax - Beaver Dubbing (Brown, Orange, Green)
Hackle - Jackdaw Coverlet (natural)

Thanks again Ron. I just got around to playing with the horsehair you sent me. Beautiful stuff to work with!

[hankaye]

Ray, Howdy;

Beautiful flys... don't know any other way to describe them.
hank

Guess ya got the kids shovleling out the driveway and walkways...

[letumgo]

Nah, I got the driveway done yesterday. We haven't gotten anymore snow since them (knock on wood). I've been enjoying my day, tying flies. It's easy to forget the worries of the world when your focused on where the next wrap should go... I just feel at peace when I am tying.

[Soft-hackle]

Lovely look to them, Ray.

Mark

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Ray,

Lovely look to them. How do they look wet? In my experience the horse hair gets very translucent, would like to know if your mileage is about the same.

REE

[letumgo]

I wondered the same thing. I've got them soaking in a small cup of water right now. I will let them soak for a while and see what they look like. I will check back in after I make dinner (mmm). Gotta go.

[michaelgmcgraw]

Ray,
I like the "special effects" of the horse hair! I like translucent bodies. I never would have thought of horse hair! To achieve
translucence I use different colors of tinsels over wrapped with different colored transparent larva-lace type tubing.
Way to go with the horse hair!

[willowhead]

YOU DAH MAIN Ray.....mamamamamama MAIN. You hip right? It's a tune.....

[CM_Stewart]

Ray,

Lovely look to them. How do they look wet? In my experience the horse hair gets very translucent, would like to know if your mileage is about the same.

REE

My mileage is about the same. White hair over a colored thread body gets translucent and the body color shows through. I've also used chestnut and black hair without the thread underbody. They also have a translucent quality and it looks almost like the chitin that makes an insect's exoskeleton, not to mention the natural ribbing from the relatively large diameter of the hair.

Good looking flies and very effective.

[willowhead]

i've got a bunch of horse hair and have used it for bodies before.....the natural segmentation was/is terrific, but i've only used it for Midge patterns so far. Gotta try it on bigger hooks.