Spring Black, Little Black

[Old Hat]

Here is a little variation using pheasant tail dyed black as opposed to magpie.

[redietz]

Nice! Is that peacock ribbed with purple or purple ribbed with peacock?

[Old Hat]

Actually it is pheasant tail ribbed with purple. Good quality pheasant tail gets a nice green color when it is dyed black. I always look for that when purchasing.

[tie2fish]

Classy tie.

[Old Hat]

Thanks Bill.

I used a #12 Owner Mosquito hook for this. It is becoming my favorite hook for spiders. You can get it down to #14 I believe. The hooks run small so I liken them to #14-16. Thin wire, wide gape, extremely sharp to be almost tacky. The hook will spring a little but not bend or break. I started using them in larger sizes for Tenkara reverse hackle patterns and it was a noticeable difference in good hookups on the initial take. At first I thought it was the Tenkara rod and style of fishing, but I am starting to think it was the hook.

[dj1212]

Beautiful fly. I'm going to get some dyed pheasant tail and try it.

[Theroe]

Here is a little variation using pheasant tail dyed black as opposed to magpie.

Carl - nice post.......gave it a whirl last night, and I absolutely agree - this is a great sub, Im a big fan of pheasant for tying, as there are a lot of excellent feathers that go unused / undiscussed. From the female bird, tail and wing secondaries work wonders for bodies.
Thanks for the great tip!

Dana

[wsbailey]

Also, the alula feather for tenkara flies.

[William Anderson]

Carl, I am just blown away by this post. The execution of this fly is masterful and the discussion about this dyed pheasant means now I have find some. I have several black feathers with significant iridescent qualities but the results of your effort are tough to compete with. Love this hook as well. Ask Eric about a new hook he just released for Fulling Mills. The gape isn't quite as pronounced but the overall effects is very similar with a very strong wire. When Im home Ill try to find the number.

fantastic pic too.

[wsbailey]

A video version.