Orange Fish Hawk variation

[DOUGSDEN]

Kelly,
Indeed, very nice and very fishable too! Have you tried this pattern on your home waters? It has been a hit on mine but like most patterns, not all the time! It seems to excell when the water is a little off color due to a rain. I am becoming a Kelly L. fan esp. of your unique style of tying. I want to urge you to stay on it and keep us fed this winter when creative tying seems to blossom!
From deep in the den,
Doug

[Kelly L.]

Well I am very happy y'all liked the fly. Doug, you are too kind. I have not tried this fly yet. This is the first time I have made this pattern. It is similar to the Partridge and Orange though, and I have had luck with my spiders fishing here. Orange does seem to work after the water is disturbed by rain, or it turns over in late fall.

[Old Hat]

Wonderful looking pattern and the tying is spot on. I haven't heard of a keeper before. Is this a strand of floss pulled up over the top to keep the floss from sliding back?

I have often seen this color of hackle referred to as Greenwell's hackle. Is this Greenwell's or just a shade of golden badger? Does anyone know? For some reason, I have always thought that Greenwell's hackle was of similar color but had dark tips that distinguished it from a badger variation. Just curious, this is no way a knock on your pattern Kelly. It is a great tie.

[Kelly L.]

Old Hat, yes, it is a strand tied in after the tinsel. Then you do a wrap from eye to back, and then back up, tie off. Then you take the strand that was left hanging off the back, pull forward, tie off. Then you wrap the tinsel, tie off. Then you finally get to wrap the hackle. Well, at least that is how I do it. There are different shades of Greenwell. Most of my cape is dark in the middle, with a brownish red tips on the outside of it. (almost an orange like cast) The regular pattern calls for badger. They didn't say what kind, but it looks like natural badger. I had some India hen badger, but could not find any other natural badger. There is a gold or silver badger, even a cream badger. I just tied two with the natural badger. I am not certain which kind I will send for the swap yet. Oh, I think Greenwell's is more like a furnace type color, with a dark middle, much like a badger.

[hankaye]

Kelly L. Howdy;

I wasn't sure how to ask about the 'keeper', so I'll thank Old hat for taking care of that chore.
So, I'll ask this ... Is the 'Keeper' the slightly darker shade along the top of the abdomen???
The fly, by-the-way, is drop dead gorgeous!

hank

[Kelly L.]

Hank, thank you. The keeper is nothing more than a piece of floss. You start the fly, tie in the tinsel, then tie in the keeper. I only use one piece of floss to use for the keeper. You cut it off like a tail, except it is on the top, not the bottom. It starts at the head, and goes past the tail area. Then you measure it, by pulling it forward, over the eye. Make sure you have say a body length that can still go beyond the eye. Then you cut it. Then you pull the piece of floss back all the way. It will hang out the rear of the fly, just like the tinsel piece, that has not been wrapped yet, but was tied in only. Then you use another piece of floss, tie in right behind the head, and go towards the rear, to the tie in point of the keeper, which is at the very end, touching the tag area. Then you wrap the floss back all the way to the head, leave a little space for the head, so you don't make it too big. THEN after that is done, you take the flap of the keeper, and pull it forward, over the eye. Pull a little tight, tie off, then snip off what is left. Hank, the keeper only goes OVER THE TOP of the body, it is NOT wrapped. Then you tie in the hackle. I hope this helps.

[redietz]

The way Don Bastian showed me how to do a keeper is to tie in at the bend, and leave the tag hanging out over the bend. Wrap the floss a few turn forward, and then pull the tag back over the top, and continue wrapping the floss forward over it. He doesn't go back and up, only forward.

Generally, you shouldn't need a keeper if the fly has a tag and/or tail. Without either of those, though, the floss has a tendency to slip off the back.

[Kelly L.]

Bob, I didn't need a keeper, I just wanted to do it. By tying it in at the head, on top, and going back, you then leave the flap hanging off the back. It is the same thing really, in visual effect. I do it this way, for two reasons. One, it is easier to attach it to the top of the hook. Two, there will be no bump showing. After you have the keeper tied in, and hanging out the back, and cut off, then I go forward with the thread. The reason I did this is, I wanted two layers of floss. I start at the head with the floss, go down, and back up, then install the keeper. I forgot how Don did his exactly. But he is the one that gave me the idea. I decided this was the perfect fly to try it out on. This is similar to how some people tie hackle in by the stem, and some by the tip. Each person has their own preference. Neither way is wrong, in my opinion.

[hankaye]

Kelly L. Howdy;

Thank you for the detailed description. The way my mind fails to communicate
and form a cohesive 'How -to' it took several readings and a visual aid, in this case
my trusty note pad and pencil making stick drawings for the visual part of my mind to
ponder... Think I got the gist of it and in the process answered my first question ...
it is the slightly darker strip that runs along the top. Dang I love it when I can get both halves
of my head to communicate, most times it's like 2 unruly kindergarten kids squabblin' over
the last piece of pizza ... the outcome sometimes ain't pretty but route to the finish is fun to watch. ,

hank

[Kelly L.]

Hank, I am sorry I confused you. I didn't see that it was darker, and I couldn't answer that part. The underside was darker, and it was because the light was above, making a slight shadow underneath. Glad you got it. It took me a while to get it myself. I had to bug Don about it...lol.