Steelhead/Salmon Flymphs..... ;>)

[willowhead]

This is going to be another ongoin' thread, just like the JazzFlies Artistic thread........nothin' i post at this thread will have a bead and please feel free to post pics of YOUR Steelhead & or Salmon Flymphs. These will stricktly be fishin' flies.......although, i highly doubt any fly posted here will ever be tyed more than once. i just see no need..........i've been doin' some up already, the last few days. i found this little stash (maybe 20 hooks, Targus i think) of Salmon/Steelhead hooks.....up turned eyes.....black nickel finish.....so that's what i been usin' so far........but i'll also be using a wide variety of different hooks including all sizes & finishes of the Daiichi Alec Jackson Spey hooks........Bronze, Gold, Black, Blued black, & Nickel, & probably the Gamakatsu Salmon/Steelhead hooks in Blue, Red, Green, & Black Nickel.
More often than not, these are what i do at shows nowdays, as it doesn't take to long to do one. i can see it, folks can see it, and folks are more willin' to hang til it's done so they can have it. Nobody should have to keep commin' back again and again and again to see if "they're" fly is finished. And, i've pretty much stoped doin' the "one fly takes all dang day" flies anymore at shows.............because it is so ironic and rediculas that to do one fly a day, i have to have a whole damn fly shop with me, so i can use whatever pops into my head at any given moment. The last decade on the road doin' fly tyin' shows, has taught me a few things. And one of them, is that the older you get, the less you wanna carry round a fly shop.
Basically decided to do this because it's just to hard anymore to tye on small hooks (other than for fishing), where i just can't be sure how the heads have come out, until "After" i take a pic.....and who the hell has time to take a dang pic and THEN find out you wasted all that time, and just don't wanna post the fly. Thank you very much. So, the flies i post at this thread will all be on hooks large enough so that i can at least insure a half way decent head.
First pics soon.

[willowhead]

Here's the recipe for the first fly of this saga. And folks, two things that are a very large part of the purpose and meaning of this thread.........."Improvisation".......and, mistakes and (or more importantly)," how" you fix them, are COOL! .....even encouraged,
in the sense of creating freedon (BIG FUN), in fly tying. Comprende'?
For now i'll just call this fly.....
Rose Hips
Hook: Salmon/Steelhead black nickel size 2.
Thread: black
Tail: two dark feathers off the outside edges of a dyed wine/claret colored Silver Pheasant skin
Body: claret dyed Seal, in a loop
Rib: red Kreinik braid
Wing/Collar: back feather off that same Silver Pheasent skin.....
pic commin' soon.....i hope.

[fly_fischa]

Sounds like a cool plan to me Mark. I'll take you up on the invite to contribute. Never tied a steelhead fly in my life or caught one for that matter, but I'm willing to have a go and try something new. Actually I did tie one steelhead fly in my time, it was for a swap I was in at the the time. The guy hosting was a Rogue river native so I chose to do a Red Ant hairwing and to modify it for a bit of fun... I know that's sacrilege , but hey if you're gonna do it, may as well have fun in the process.

If I can find the photo, I'll PM it to you...

[willowhead]

Kars, i got the pic...........GREAT lookin' fly............go ahead and post it here if you like. i don't have to have the very first pic up, on this thread nessessarily. Don't make no difference. i'll get the pic up to go with the above recipe soon enough. Thankx for wanting to participate.

[Roadkill]

Not a flymph but a very nice soft hackle steelhead fly series. Out of my metalhead boxes here is one of my ties of an Alec Jackson Spade-the Whaka Blonde.
IMGP3056 by William Lovelace, on Flickr
Tail-dyed deer hair.
Body-Ostrich hot spot and AJ style rope of purple Ostrich and tinsel
Hackle-Purple hen

[willowhead]

Way to go Roadkill.....you did a great job with that fly........it's gorgeous. That puppy POPS! And heck, if you'd just taken a turn or two through the thorax (front portion) of the body before you started your collar......you'd have a boneified Flymph.....so what's the difference? The idea is it's for fishin' for Steelies and Salmon.....and Flymphish enough. And you can see you did a fine job on the head.
i've tyed lots of these Alec Jackson designed Steelie flies.........got all "Jacked" to do them after i bought his videos and watched them several times. His style of ribbing without actually ribbing is ok......but i'd just as soon actually DO a rib. He twist the herl and ribbing together which makes a very durable fly and gives it "some" flash.....but i'd rather SEE the ribbing more distinctively. More fly pics please.

[Old Hat]

Oh...Mark...now you're opening a whole can of #$&@'s. Each year I work on a couple more.

Here are a couple classic soft hackle patterns from the the early 1940's era steelhead fishing heritage in PNW specifically Northern California Klamath River area.

The Orleans Barber


The Burlap


The McReynolds (purposefully dense hackle)


Then there are a couple of my staple designs that have served me well over the years.

The Gamebird


Cinnamon Flymph


Gold Ribbed Hare's Mask


Good Luck Chuck
When Dry


When wet


Pintail and Mink


Badger Zulu


The Moisic ( a classic pattern out of Ray Bergman's "Trout" tied on a #6 Ken Sawada Wet


I have posted some of these on here before, I believe. I'll spare you all the many other pics I have and leave any new posts to newly created patterns.

[willowhead]

WOW!!!!!! HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man these are some INCREDABLE TYES...............BEAUTIFUL stuff.........keep 'em commin'.............the MORE, the BETTER!!!!! i LOVE it...........this is GREAT!!!!!
i'm havin' puter problems.............been workin' on something for a couple hours unsuccessfully............ ......back to the damn grind.............

[hankaye]

Old Hat, Howdy;

DANG !!! Them be some kinda good lookin' flys!!
AND... in keeping with the foundation of the forum ta boot.

hank

[Old Hat]

Thanks guys for the kudos. I often tie some of these at shows. Like Mark said, it's easier on the eyes and I tie the flymphs as Leisenring would tie a flymph to describe the methodology.