Early Spring Spider

[tie2fish]

Whether they are black stoneflies or blue quills or some sort of dark olive I do not know, but I have observed small, dark flies around when fishing during the Hendrickson hatch in early spring. Here is a spider that I will try out the next time this happens, especially if the fish are ignoring Hendricksons.

Hook: Daiichi 1530, Size #16
Thread: Griffith's Sheer 14/0, black
Hackle: Starling
Abdomen: Stripped peacock herl
Thorax: Pine squirrel underfur

Early Spring Spider.jpg (58.9 KiB) Viewed 7849 times

[SenecaLaker]

Good morning Bill, I like it. I think there are times when this would be the ticket on our Michigan streams in spring as well. I have a starling skin that I need to get around to cleaning in the freezer currently. Is the peacock herl colored after you stripped it? Or natural? My computer screen shows it to have a brownish tone to it. Thanks for posting.

Dave

[tie2fish]

Thanks Dave. The stripped herl is natural, taken from near the bottom of a large eye. I have noticed that the coloration varies depending on the eye stick and from where on it the herl is taken. On some the color shadings are more pronounced, while some are basically monochromatic. This one is roughly in the middle of the range.

[Jerry G]

Nicely done Bill. If the wind ever quits howling here in Wisconsin I will once again head out to a little creek in hopes of seeing the little fly you have described. Just spattering's between Little Black Stones, Midge and shortly now a small mayfly will bring a few trout to the surface. Small dark soft hackles have brought some results.
Your quill bodied fly will send me back to the tying bench today. Many thanks for the push. For what it's worth I give the thread wraps prior to winding the quill a very light rub of Sally Hanson's Hard as Nails and after the wrap is completed a light coat of the same. Not only does it high light the segmentation but makes the body of the fly much more durable.

Regards, Jerry

[tie2fish]

Thanks, Jerry, for the tip on using SHHAN to enhance and protect the quill. Good advice.

[Premerger]

That is the business Bill.
Very nice.
How did you tie the hackle in, reverse, tip first or tip last?

[tie2fish]

"Flymph style", Tim. Tied hackle in by stem with concave side up and tip out over hook eye. Took thread to rear, tied in herl quill and took thread forward to thorax area. Wrapped quill abdomen forward and tied off behind hackle tie-in point. Dubbed thorax, wrapped hackle back, caught hackle with thread wrap and then took thread up with wrap through hackle to whip finish in front. Clip or break off hackle tag at back of collar.

[hankaye]

tie2fish, Howdy;

Mr. Bill, Excellent example of a wee spider. Was going to comment on it this morning but
I've been having some lung problems for about a week now ... a for real pain in the
tuches . I lost my place and it's taken me this long to remember to make my post.
Thanks also for the tying directions, most likely took you longer to type it out then to tye one

hank

[Roadkill]

Nice tie Bill!
It looks like it would be a good one for the Winter Stone flies out here.

[gingerdun]

Perfect little beauty.