GRHE Dark Version

[DOUGSDEN]

Side view

GRHE Dark 005.JPG (86.05 KiB) Viewed 11160 times

From my nymph box

GRHE Dark 004.JPG (85.51 KiB) Viewed 11150 times

Hello Everybody!
As our good friend Ruard requested, here is the recipe for the GRHE Dark Version that did so well for me during my glorious afternoon on the 26th of December! The general construction of the fly is nothing unsusal. The fur is darker on this pattern than normally used!

Hook: TMC 3761 or Cabela's # Model 22 or similar in sizes 10-16
Thread: Danvilles 6/0 waxed in black or very dark brown
Lead: Left mostly to your liking and from your experience. On size 10's I use .025. On size 12's I use .020 and so on! I tied this series of nymphs with lots of weight for a reason. There are some clear deep lakes that I like to fish in my area that are known to harbor some big bluegill. They like to live deep so I decided to go after them with some fairly heavy weighted patterns and they worked terrifically well! If you are so inclined, a bead head version would work well too!
Tail: 8-10 dark Hungarian partridge fibers tied in short.
Rib: Moderately heavy gold wire (brass), three to four turns at most over the abdomen only.
Abdomen: Very dark hares ear dubbing or similar. I had trimmed, Shanerized, and blended some cottontailed rabbit faces a while back and they turned out very dark and spikey. Proved to be good stuff to work with!
Thorax: Same as abdomen or sometimes a lighter shade of hares ear dubbing. Dubbed rather thick and then roughed up with Ruards velcro "scratcher". That tool is awesome for this job and many others too!
Wingcase: Darkest, well mottled fibers from a turkey tail folded over in the usual way to cover the top part of the thorax!
Hackle Collar or Beard: A fairly long Hungrian Partridge dark and well marked wrapped 2-3 turns and then divided and pulled down to make a backward sloping beard. Pull the wingcase forward and secure. Whip finish a small head and cement!

Tying notes: When this pattern gets wet, it gets really dark! The filmier parts of the hares ear dubbing, when teased out with Ruards scratcher, make a nice veil which is where I think alot of the darker parts of the fur come out and really darken the pattern! I hope I haven't forgotten anything?
Doug

[hankaye]

DOUGSDEN, Howdy;

Thanks for the pix and the complete tying instructions for your version of the GRHE.
Your usual attention to detail leaves no room for error. Thanks for taking the time to
be so detail oriented.

hank

[tie2fish]

Well rendered, Doug. Makes a fine looking nymph.

[letumgo]

Doug - Well done, sir! Such a nice example of a time proven "classic". Thank your for sharing (I'm glad Ruard asked).

[William Anderson]

Doug, this might be one of the nicest GRHE nymphs I've ever seen. Your description is very helpful. I always appreciate your posts because your style and technique seem to move me a step closer to what I know to be true, rather than the steps which explore other variables. The composition in thirds, the tapered profile and the texture of this fly is really the standard. Well done.

w

[Premerger]

It's a beauty Doug, right down to the Shanerized materials used.
Nice description that!
Thanks for posting.

[DOUGSDEN]

Thanks Guys! I really appreciate the kind words and the vote of confidence! This pattern is just killer esp. on the big bluegill that haunt our local still waters! It is so well accepted everywhere we go! I know we all think at times, "Why didn't I think of this?"
The classics are great but I get such a kick out of seeing all the new stuff that everyone ties! There is such huge talent on this forum! No wonder it's the envy of the world!
Doug

[SenecaLaker]

I couldn't agree with you more Doug about how this fly is accepted. It is amazing producer under countless condition and species. It seems that it's one that never lets you down. Your representation , as all of your ties is wonderful. One question, what is "Shanerizing" ? I've looked around the forum and cant seem to locate a reference to the process. I have been gathering some materials over the winter as well as tending to my dad, He's not quite as young as he used to be anymore. Seems that some of the "busyness" has started to tail off somewhat and should allow me to participate in the forum a bit more and spend some time at the vise. Please continue to post your patterns.

Dave in Michigan

[William Anderson]

Dave, I love the term "Shanerized", although, i'm sure it might refer to any number of things where we listen carefully to anything John Shaner has to offer and do our best to replicate the results. Amazing results at that. I've "Shanerized" my leader assembly, my needle-nail knots, my in-air mending, and my rod position while presenting a cast. I've come to appreciate his preference for longer hackles and smaller hooks.

In this case, I have no doubt what Doug is referring to is the way John describes a technique he adopted for blending dubbings. He sorts it all out, puts the contents in a peanut butter jar, filled with water, adds a couple drops of conditioner, shakes vigorously, then strains the contents, patting it all dry with paper towel and then spreads it out on paper towels to air dry. Sounds like a few extra steps compared to blending it in a coffee grinder with light pulsing bursts, but if you're interested in taking any aspect of tying and exploring the nature of materials to another level, it's worth the extra steps. Besides it's kind of fun and the results speak for themselves.

[DOUGSDEN]

Hi Guys!
Dave, thanks for the kind words of my tyings and thoughts on this great pattern! And one of the other great things about this beauty is that my speckled darlings never seem to tire of it or get wise to it! I can't say this about other proven patterns in my box. Definitely take care of your dad! I am glad to that you will have some time to come full circle back to the forum! I am also looking forward to seeing your patterns and reading your contributions! They are important and they are great!
Which leads to "Shanerizing" that William so brilliantly described! Thanks W.! This method was first explained to me by our own Bill Shuck (tie2fish) a while back and it is fantastic! The process does two things. It cleans the fur (and conditions it with yes, ladies hair conditioner) and it homogenizes it....makes it of one consistency! Before this knowledge, I was cutting bits of fur from the hides and mixing (and rarely cleaning) it on my desktop by hand. That is harder to do than you think! Bill saw my plight and gifted me a small, electric coffee grinder and wow did that make a world of difference! Thanks Bill! That process mixes the fur really well obviously but it also changes the character of the fur for the good! Tell me how you currently process and apply furs during tying! Send me a p.m. and I will be glad to explain this to you! It's easy and it's awesome!
John, have you patented your process? I do not want to overstep my bounds on your wonderful and crafty way of making dubbing furs!
William, thank you, thank you for such a great description of this process! I could not have said it better myself! Wait a minute Dave.....take Williams instructions to heart! He says it just like it is and he says it well!
E-mail us and ask if you have any questions!
Best fishes, Doug