The Artistic flies of Mark Romero

[GlassJet]

Of course, to get some of the beads on, I am being really thick.

I was thinking fishing wise, with your gut hook, you were turning back the clock a couple of hundred years!

Fascinating stuff, and it is growing on me - but I suspect as a spectator, not a participant. I'm not visually creative in that way, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it!

cheers,
Andrew.

[willowhead]

Yes, exactly that is why for perhaps 50% of the reason......(being able to get the beads on)......but the other 50% at least, or MORE, is simpy that fact that i almost always dye my eyes.
For me, to do a fly with allllllllll the beautiful things (materials), we use.....and then to just leave a plain undyed eye on there is a travisty.....plus it's ugly. i can see it if it matches up and or adds something to the over-all color scheme....."White," But other than that.............no way Jose'. And because you can do alllllll sorts of things dying your eyes.....you can end up with a MUCH nicer lookin' fly than either an undyed gut eye, or a machine made metal eye.
OH! and one more thing.....to a degree (as well), my use of gut for the eyes on my artistics, is also a nod to the past and a show of reverance (ME? ), or respect for the past and allllll those incredable artist who blazed the trail before us.
Trust me, if they'd a had Sharpies, and synthetics and beads, etc., etc, etc.....they'da used them. All tyers over the decades (centuries for that matter), have used what they had available, and/or could afford. Some just have to have blinders on to stay straight on the race track.....go figure.

[willowhead]

Head needs another coat and the entire dressing got a bit outta hand..... but this is the Mustad 3365 hook with the eye removed and replaced with gut. Wing is a combination of dyed orange Amhearst Pheasent and Golden Pheasent. Might fish with this, even though that wasn't the original plan.....but i'm not really staisfied with the results here that much. Back to the drawing board.

[hankaye]

Willowhead, Howdy;

What size hook did ya use on the hairy beasty...
hank

[willowhead]

That's a size 3/0. i forgot to mention that the hook has been tip diped. Although you can't see it in that pic, there's just a tiny spot of pink sparkle fingernail polish on the very end of the shank that sticks out from the center of the head.

[willowhead]

This fly is on a Jens Pilgaard Partridge CS6JP size 6/0. The bead came from a local shop. The butt is SLF dubbing. The body is four different colors (one wrapped in front of the other), of my VERY favorite synthetic dubbing.....Arizona Dubbing. The throat or bottom Spey hackle is Reah. The wing is herl over PB, (two colors), and the collar is saddle. The use of tyers wax for finishing the head is the ONLY thing that saved it.....but it came out nice. The eye is the Partridge gut, that you use to be able to buy seperately, and that can still be purchased when you buy either the CS6JP or the CS5DB (Dublin Bned), as it comes with the hooks. Did this fly two days ago. ;>)

[willowhead]

Well, you can actually see the "tip-dip" on this fly in this pic..... It's on a modified Mustad 3365.....

[letumgo]

WILD!!!

[GlassJet]

Love those last two!

I might have to have a go at this!

Andrew.

[willowhead]

Hi quality reactions guys.....high quality reactions.....