Skues

[Donald Nicolson]

I have just been looking at a list of Skues nymph recipes for chalk streams, as far as I know, the first list of nymph patterns ever, and not one had a wing-case. They were all long shanks.
Most of the materials can be found or modern substitutes found.
One problem is with a Blue-winged Olive nymph, the body dubbing colour is given as Dried Blood. A very dark Claret? or Claret mixed with a little Black?
The fur named is Red Cow hair, maybe a dark Brick Red?

[wsbailey]

I have several colors of Highland cattle hair. It's a nice dubbing that is sort like a cross between mohair and seal. Here is a link to a picture of a red one: http://photography.nationalgeographic.c ... -scotland/
The stuff that is the color of dried blood is very rare. The next picture shows a scab. The darkest part is the dried blood color. The actual color of the hair is a bit duller: http://falln-stock.deviantart.com/art/S ... 1-22819415. Bill

[narcodog]

I have bought some Scottish Highland cow hair off Ebay. It is like Bill says long soft and straight.

[Mataura mayfly]

In my experience, dried blood comes in a myriard of colours, dependant on iron content, adrenalin content and oxygen levels when it was released, but as a rule I would be looking for a colour similar to Condy's Crystals- a deep purple claret kind of mixture.

There are a few Highland cattle farmed around here, never really thought of them as a tying material....... that might have to change!

[narcodog]

A little off subject but there was a fly maker in Montana in the days gone bye. Pott's was his name and he did woven flies. One of the materials used was the hair from the ear of a red oxen.

[wsbailey]

I have looked through a lot Highland cattle hair to find the small amount of the special dubbing. The term dried blood is merely an attempt to describe it. Here's a link to more about the dubbing: http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc25154/Web ... _olive.htm. I have a bottle of the crystals Jeff mentions but the bottle is labeled Potassium Permanganate. Here's a picture of a bottle I found which reminded me of a story I read: http://www.spurs.co.nz/estore/style/fte ... 0crys.aspx. The British were sending the Scots Greys who rode on light grey horses to fight in the Boer war. Someone in the war department thought that such light colored horses would make too easy of a target. A dyer was consulted who recommended a dilute solution of potassium permanganate be rubbed on the horses each day until they arrived at the destination. Long before they arrived the horse's hair and skin was a nice shade of soft brown. Bill

[letumgo]

Donald- I have some beaver dubbing which is close to the color of dried blood. I use it to tye isonychia nymph patterns. The link below shows some flies tyed with this dubbing.

http://www.flymphforum.com/viewtopic.ph ... =isonychia

[Mataura mayfly]

Bill, great story on the poor old grey horses. Another little known fact is you can use the crystals to dye sun bleached cast deer antler into a pretty realistic brown it would be when worn by the owner, just paint a solution on allow it to dry and do not paint the tips.

[Donald Nicolson]

Bill, I thought you might like this picture, the pigeons don't show much respect.
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/page633.html
Jeff, get yourself some hielan' coos, and we'll all have some dubbing.
I cannot find the type of guineafowl hackles used as tails by Skues.
His info on the colour of these tails is very sketchy.
Perhaps bleached and dyed cock pheasant tails might supply substitutes.

[Old Hat]

I was thinking about the whisks as well. I don't have a guinea skin. I was thinking of using Chukar or Quail and a pantone. I think cock pheasants would work well but may be a little more stiff than the guineas neck. Not saying that is for the worse.