Spencer

[flyfishwithme]

I may be wrong but I think bumbles generally have a denser, stiffer hackle to them?

Correct and they have a denser body which is teased to blur the joining of the hackle and the body materials.

[redietz]

Orange Fish hawk recipe from plate #14 (dry fly) of Trout by Ray Bergman, 1938.

Body: Orange floss
Rib: Gold tinsel
Tip: Gold Tinsel
Hackle: Badger light

It's a fly he seems to mention in the text quite a bit. I've inferred that it was one of his favorites. Sorta of an American twist on a partridge and orange.

[tie2fish]

The Plate #14 pattern (orange silk floss) with Greenwell hackle instead of light badger has proved to be extremely effective in late summer and fall on our local tailwater.

[Old Hat]

When you talk of Greenwell's hackle what does this refer to? Or rather compare to badger hackle...

[tie2fish]

Greenwell hackle has the same black center coloration, but the tips are burnished gold instead of the cream/light dun outer coloration of Badger. See the Light Greenwell patterns tied by Alice Conba on Hans' web site for a good visual. Based on a conversation with Charlie Collins, there is not a big demand for this relatively scarce color pattern in the USA, and he sends the majority of the Greenwell skins he produces to Ireland. For example, at the Somerset (NJ) Fly Fishing Show this year, he had several hundred hen skins for sale, and only two of them were true Greenwell.

[DOUGSDEN]

Carl,
Beautiful pattern and as always from your den, so well tied. I like your style. Please consider becoming a full time "pattern tester" on this forum by keeping us in all this eye candy that we see!

Mark,
I am glad you mentioned the orange fish hawk. This past winter (that seems like a long time ago doesn't it?), I tied 3- size 14's and 3-size 12's to the receipe you stated. I recently turned them loose on my home waters and WOW! My speckled beauties really found them ... delicious I guess. What a great, easy to tie pattern that really works!
I am going to take them and all my "children" to the lake this coming week for a few days of fishing and camping and maybe a little bit of sleep in between. I will keep you posted on how they do.
Thank you Mark and Ray Bergman for elegance and simplicity,
Dougsden

[Old Hat]

Greenwell hackle has the same black center coloration, but the tips are burnished gold instead of the cream/light dun outer coloration of Badger. See the Light Greenwell patterns tied by Alice Conba on Hans' web site for a good visual. Based on a conversation with Charlie Collins, there is not a big demand for this relatively scarce color pattern in the USA, and he sends the majority of the Greenwell skins he produces to Ireland. For example, at the Somerset (NJ) Fly Fishing Show this year, he had several hundred hen skins for sale, and only two of them were true Greenwell.

Thanks, I have a couple that I believe would come close to qualifying for this, I have just called them golden badger. They are whiting genetic hens and officially titled "badger variant" One is as you stated, one has black tips on many of the fibers as well as along the rachis.