Post
by gingerdun » Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:25 am
Ray, I finally had a chance to give this a good read. Your construction method is innovative, and works well.
Hans, thank you for your good-humored prodding to see videos from other members. It could happen.
Now Ray, two good techniques that you recommend are different from Leisenring, and I think they are solid. One is to tie in the spun body as the next step after tying in the hackle, and have them both hang out over the eye. I've never seen that before, which doesn't mean that others on the forum aren't doing it —I just never noticed it. Leisenring and others tie the spun body in later, hanging it out over the tail. Second is cutting off the barbs on the right side of the hackle. I know that it is common practice, but it is not in ATWF, nor does Leisenring give an opinion on the matter. But for thorax flymphs where the hackle winds almost half-way down the hook, over the thorax dubbing, it gives a leaner proportion, and doesn't cover the dubbing fibers as much as a full-bodied feather does.
Jim Slattery showed me his method of tying a thorax flymph, which adds a new wrinkle of his own.
—Like Leisenring, he tied the hackle on at the eye, and then tied the spun body on at the bend, letting in hang out over the tail.
—Next he secured the body in by wrapping over its thread ends up to mid-shank, leaving the bobbin hanging there, and trimming off the excess thread ends.
—The dubbed body was then wrapped all the way to where the hackle is tied in, going past the hanging thread, and then (here is Slattery's innovation) wrapping back over itself in the thorax area, returning to the hanging bobbin mid-shank. This builds some bulk to the thorax, and also keeps the tying thread mid-shank where it is needed.
—He then tied off the spun body there with two wraps of thread, and cut off the excess—again just leaving the bobbin hanging mid-shank.
—Next the full hackle was wrapped over the thorax to the hanging thread.
—The hackle was then secured by wrapping and wobbling the thread through its barbs, (trimming off excess hackle), traveling over the thorax dubbing, back to the eye for a whip finish.
This is a bushier flymph than yours, and he swears by it.
These techniques expand on what Leisenring wrote, adding useful variations for different style flies.
BTW, do you bleach your own pheasant tail? I've never tried bleaching.
Yesterday was a great day for the forum. Thanks to everyone for giving me so much to think about.
Lance
