Spymph

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tie2fish
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Spymph

Post by tie2fish » Sun Feb 28, 2016 1:52 pm

After an all too brief tying session with William the other day, I have taken to fooling around with his twisted materials technique for fly bodies. Here is a hybrid pattern that combines a spider-like body with flymph-style hackle and a small Leisenring head:

Hook: Daiichi 1530, Size #14
Thread: Pearsall's Gossamer #19 hot orange
Hackle: Golden plover from neck area, wrapped rearward in tight flymph style
Body: Long tag of tying thread twisted with turkey herl wrapped forward in closely spaced palmer
Head: Thread wraps in conical shape
Plover, Turkey and #19 Silk Spymph.jpg
Plover, Turkey and #19 Silk Spymph.jpg (86.66 KiB) Viewed 7598 times
Some of the same morons who throw their trash around in National parks also vote. That alone would explain the state of American politics. ~ John Gierach, "Still Life with Brook Trout"
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Premerger
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Re: Spymph

Post by Premerger » Sun Feb 28, 2016 2:31 pm

Intriguing body Bill and I like the overall form.
Have you taken it for a swim yet to observe how it behaves under water?

I hope pronouncing it correctly isn't a prerequisite for using the fly!
How hard can it be?
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Ruard
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Re: Spymph

Post by Ruard » Sun Feb 28, 2016 3:40 pm

Hi Bill,

I like the fly and I missed the way William is tying a body with twisted herl end tying thread. well done .

I can see the smile on your face when you "invented " the word Spymph :o ;) :)

greeting


Ruard
There will allways be a solution.
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William Anderson
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Re: Spymph

Post by William Anderson » Sun Feb 28, 2016 3:54 pm

Brah..voh! It's a very quick and effective technique, but I have never seen it done so well. What a beautiful compliment of materials to create a richly textured spider. I do hope you make this part of your newly concentrated number of patterns.
"A man should not try to eliminate his complexes, but rather come into accord with them. They are ultimately what directs his conduct in the world." Sigmund Freud.
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tie2fish
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Re: Spymph

Post by tie2fish » Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:05 am

Thanks, guys. BTW, I have made a slight change to the name, and will be calling this hybrid pattern a "splymph".
Some of the same morons who throw their trash around in National parks also vote. That alone would explain the state of American politics. ~ John Gierach, "Still Life with Brook Trout"
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Old Hat
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Re: Spymph

Post by Old Hat » Mon Feb 29, 2016 12:13 pm

Great looking fly Bill. I love the new name. "splymph"

The original "splymph" from T.E. Pritt's Yorkshire Trout Flies. 1885.

Old Master
Wings: Hackled with a feather from the inside of a Woodcock's wing
Body: Ash-colored silk, wrapped over with Heron's herl.

I have done quite well over the years with this pattern. I use pheasant tail dyed dun instead of the heron.
I hate it when I think I'm buying organic vegetables, and when I get home I discover they are just regular donuts.
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tie2fish
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Re: Spymph

Post by tie2fish » Mon Feb 29, 2016 12:35 pm

The "Old Master" is a great pattern, Carl, and it has appeared on this Forum a couple of times if I recall correctly, including one tied by you. However, it has neither spaced rearward hackle wraps nor a conical head, and thus, sadly, does qualify as a "splymph" :lol: .
Some of the same morons who throw their trash around in National parks also vote. That alone would explain the state of American politics. ~ John Gierach, "Still Life with Brook Trout"
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NJpatbee
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Re: Spymph

Post by NJpatbee » Mon Feb 29, 2016 2:01 pm

Great looking fly and I like the consistent body. I am going to have to give the Splymph a try again using turkey since my goose quill attempts have not produced the results I wanted. Just to make certain, by turkey herl do you mean the individual quill from the flank feather? Thanks!
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tie2fish
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Re: Spymph

Post by tie2fish » Mon Feb 29, 2016 3:10 pm

NJpatbee wrote: ... by turkey herl do you mean the individual quill from the flank feather? Thanks!
"Herl" is probably not the proper word. For turkey it would be is a single barb (or two if you wish) from either a tail feather or a wing feather; flank feathers ("flats") are fairly short, but they might work. For goose I would use a barb or two from a wing feather, and for pheasant, barb(s) from the tail.

Here's a "splymph" using snipe hackle (from neck) and barbs from a goose primary twisted with claret silk:
Snipe, Goose and #14 Splymph.jpg
Snipe, Goose and #14 Splymph.jpg (93.24 KiB) Viewed 7451 times
Some of the same morons who throw their trash around in National parks also vote. That alone would explain the state of American politics. ~ John Gierach, "Still Life with Brook Trout"
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Re: Spymph

Post by Mataura mayfly » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:17 pm

Exemplary, as we have come to expect from your vice. ;)
I have used duck flank in a similar style. Perhaps more suited to smaller sizes and perhaps a weaker "fluming" of the fibres at right angles to the individual stem, but it is yet another variation.
"Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout".... Irish proverb.
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