Gettin' there!

[Terrestrial12]

Still needs work on actual taper but overall I'm pretty happy with this one. Tying in the Lisenring style where the hackle is tied in first is still a little weird to me. It's not "show" quality, but I think it's a very fishable flymph.
Hook: Partridge L5A/UE
Thread: Sheer 14/0, blue dun
Body: blue dun dyed hares ear spun on ash colored silk with a touch of natural hares cheek
Hackle: jungle cock spade

[Fishnkilts]

You better believe it's fishable. I'm with you on the hackle being tied first thing, it does seem weird.

Awesome choice in the hook too, I'm a fan of Partridge hooks.

[DUBBN]

Good looking fly pattern. I have a Dun colored hares mask as well. I will tye something along the lines of your example with it.

I am the opposite. I learned to hackle a pattern by tying the feather in first. Any other way feels weird to me.



Good job.

[letumgo]

Gettin’ there indeed!

Excellent combination of materials. The dun fur goes really nicely with the ash silk and jungle cock hackle.

Well done.

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

I'm in the same camp as DUBBIN, hackle first but then I
learned to tie from the folks on here, so, gotta admit
... it does make a very nice transition.

hank

[Johnno]

Nice.
Flies don’t need to be show quality.
I think particularly for nymphs flymphs and soft hackles….
Shabbier the better..

[Mike62]

Hackle first is just weird.

...but then again, when I've tried it, it seems to help me with my proportion control. Will I concede that this is a superior method? Probably not; old dog, old tricks, ...but it sure is fun to read about.

[Terrestrial12]

Mike62 I come from a background of being totally obsessed with tying classic North County spiders so I learned to tie a sparse hackle very last with very little room. I will say that tying the hackle in first and wrapping down a portion of the stem, then butting your rib right up to it on top makes for a nice even underbody. Or wrapping down a portion of the stem, bending it over back towards the hackle and wrapping down a second layer to build taper into the thorax region is very handy.

To my eye, one of the signature characteristics that separates a flymph from a regular soft hackle is having the hackle wrapped in fairly open spirals, almost palmered trough the tapered thorax. It's very natural looking and pleasing to the eye. But I struggle with that and knowing where to leave my thread after I form the body so all my hackle ends up wound at the head, looking like a normal soft hackle and defeating the purpose of tying in the hackle first.

[DUBBN]

I like tying the hackle in first, then winding the thread through the hackle as I advance the thread forward. I like the idea of having the thread reinforce the hackle. Whether it be a spider or flymph.

[dj1212]

I like tying the hackle in first, then winding the thread through the hackle as I advance the thread forward. I like the idea of having the thread reinforce the hackle. Whether it be a spider or flymph.

I agree. This makes a durable fly. I've fished a brown hackle peacock tied this way. Most of the fibers on the peacock herl and hackle were gone but the fly didn't come apart.