Starling and Purple

[Roadkill]

How many of you have fished a heavier body version more in line with Pete's fly posted on Flymph.com? http://www.flymph.com/html/hidy_flies.html
I have fished many with just a thin thread wrap or I wrap and a rib. This is the new one I want to test against my others this year.

[letumgo]

Seductive! Love the slender, yet tapered body.

I've been on a black and purple kick lately. I will add some of these to my tying list.

[Mataura mayfly]

No reason they would not work, but I must confess I never get that bulky with the bodies of my own..... but then mine would be classed as spiders not flymphs.
Way I see it, I could possibly get a dozen of my spiders to four or five of these plumper flies and silk is not that easy to find here!

[William Anderson]

Bill, this should be a good producer as constructed. I am sometimes torn between taken a few wraps back and forward again just in the thorax area and getting a clean, level smooth north country body. I tie some of both, but I can't help but wonder how it could hurt and when their in the film presenting mainly as a silhouette the taper would be an improvement. Whether that translates to more takes or the way the body drops, I wouldn't venture a guess, and that's all it would be. I'll actually post a very recent little woodcock and purple I took a picture of yesterday. It's a level body but it offers the comparison.

You posted this in the Fishing section. I wonder if you were thinking about how you might present this body style spider compared to a traditional NCS? It's an interesting question. These are the things that my attention in off season. I'm really needing some time on the water.

[Roadkill]

William,
For Comparison here is a S&P of mine from 2008...


and one of 3 purple midges from 2011


I was not thinking of presentation. To me presentation is dictated by stream conditions and the behavior of the fish unless I want to work on one particular presentation skill. I really was trying to see if any of the Flymph fanatics had fished the more robust Starling and Purple tie of Pete pictured on Jim's site rather than the slim North Country spider. Sometime this year I will test the comparisons on a multiple fly cast.

Mataura mayfly, your discussion of silk made me think of doing a Tenkara series with the heavier Kinkame silk for the body bulk. This body of Pete's seems more in line with the flies From Heaven and I have rarely used that silk except at Expos discussing building fly bulk.

[William Anderson]

Bill, these all have a unique attitude, and I don't know if that translates to takes or refusals, but they look great.

I haven't tied a bulkier spider like this, although I have in the black flies and the P&O patterns.

I just photographed this one tied with a thicker, vintage purple silk I won in a lot of other spools. Mostly junk for for a about $5 I came away with a couple spools of this silk on a spool that must be about 150 yards. Fantastic to tie with. This is a #14 to give you a scale. On a #16 it would be quite the chubby little spider.





Following your post I'll definitely have to give some thought to building a more shapely spider as the tying season progresses. Although if it ain't broke...but then that never stopped us from fiddling with the details.

[NJpatbee]

I am curious about the choice of hook being a scud or caddis type, was it intentional or what you had nearby? Most of my soft-hackles are spiders with a thorax and a bit of a taper leading to the thorax, and the length of the silk body is abbreviated. I have more success with that style than the bulkier March Brown or gold ribbed hare's ear flymphs - it may just be my style of fishing them.

Please let us know how this style works in the field.

[Roadkill]

NJpatbee,

Using the TMC 206BL was by design. It is also considered to be an Emerger hook and has the up eye configuration that was the closest I have to the up eye that Hidy used in his S&P, although I would also like to have some of what looks to be a heavier hook that he used. Most of my soft hackles and Flymphs are fished as emergers.

The bulkier bodied flies you talk about work for me when I am imitating a heavier bodied natural. The western March Brown that I fish has a very wide head and pronounced taper to the tail in the nymph. Thin is in for many but not all mayflies. My favorite fly is a thick October Caddis Flymph.

[NJpatbee]

NJpatbee,

Using the TMC 206BL was by design. It is also considered to be an Emerger hook and has the up eye configuration that was the closest I have to the up eye that Hidy used in his S&P, although I would also like to have some of what looks to be a heavier hook that he used. Most of my soft hackles and Flymphs are fished as emergers.

The bulkier bodied flies you talk about work for me when I am imitating a heavier bodied natural. The western March Brown that I fish has a very wide head and pronounced taper to the tail in the nymph. Thin is in for many but not all mayflies. My favorite fly is a thick October Caddis Flymph.

Thanks for the info.

[Old Hat]

I have posted this fly before, but I have had really good days with this fly. It has a purple silk thread body, built up nice and fat and coated with cement and starling hackle reminiscent of Stewart's spiders. I use it where ants are likely and call it The Pant. (purple ant)

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