William, I have to correct myself, at least to a degree... In "Floating Flies and how to Dress Them", Halford shows a technique that traps dubbing between a doubled waxed thread. However, he instructions are for making a fur hackle, as used on the Hare's Ear dry fly, rather than a dubbed f...

Rube Cross illustrates the exact technique in "Tying American Trout Lures" 1936. I'm sure he was using the technique prior to that date. In a quick scan of Halford's books I can find no reference to the technique but I may have missed it. He also preferred non-absorbent body materials such...

Dotterel was a of course a very popular feather in the 1800’s for Spiders. By the end of the century it was becoming scarce and substitutes were needed. The most common and easiest to obtain, and the one suggested by Edmonds & Lee, is the under wing feather from a young starling. In “Silk, Fur a...

Darin, IMHO, get yourself some Pearsalls Gossamer Silk. Using it will teach you control and pressure better than synthetics ever will; just don't use as many wraps as you would with the modern threads and don't pile wraps over each other. I find there is a tendency to make more wraps than necessary ...

Guys, Sorry I didn't see this discussion sooner to present a more timely reply as requested by Bill. When I do classes or demos the most asked question is how does one find partridge hackle suitable for the smaller hook sizes. Well, the simplest answer is that you can't! After looking at many hundre...

The bit of finish that has worn off is fairly normal for a reel of this vintage (Circa 1976. Two screw line guard, un-covered latch, blue case). Reels at this time were finished with an enamel paint that can chip and wear off. The reel can be reversed quite easily. First, take the tension off the ch...