Tongue-tied and twisted...
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Tongue-tied and twisted...
Still playing around with loops lately. Here's what you might consider a "yellow-jacket" softhackle (abdomen is black wire in an Antique Gold Pearsall's thread loop):
But what I've been most intrigued by is working with a loop at the front of the fly to get a "twisted" effect to the hackle. I know the technique goes back to at least the Stewart's spider and that Hans, as far as I know, is the current master, but I've found that trying to twist what Hans uses for materials around the working thread would require me to grow another pair of hands and perhaps a prehensile tail. My quick-and dirty solution: I tied in a stripped hen hackle at the thorax, dropped a thread loop, and advanced the working thread to the eye. Back at the dubbing loop, I waxed one "leg" of the thread, inserted some dubbing and formed a "noodle" around the waxed portion of the loop before pulling the the hackle back through. At that point, I caught the loop and the stem of the feather in the crook of my dubbing twister and started to spin it all tight, being careful to free any hackle fibers from the dubbing brush as it formed. When everything was at a 90-degree angle, it was simply a matter of sweeping the fibers back and wrapping up toward the eye.
At any rate, it's not an elegant solution but with the right thread (I'm loving the Griffith's 14/0) and a reasonably long feather, it gives me another option of getting feather fibers in a dubbed thorax rather than the "wind-and-bind" method I was using before.
But what I've been most intrigued by is working with a loop at the front of the fly to get a "twisted" effect to the hackle. I know the technique goes back to at least the Stewart's spider and that Hans, as far as I know, is the current master, but I've found that trying to twist what Hans uses for materials around the working thread would require me to grow another pair of hands and perhaps a prehensile tail. My quick-and dirty solution: I tied in a stripped hen hackle at the thorax, dropped a thread loop, and advanced the working thread to the eye. Back at the dubbing loop, I waxed one "leg" of the thread, inserted some dubbing and formed a "noodle" around the waxed portion of the loop before pulling the the hackle back through. At that point, I caught the loop and the stem of the feather in the crook of my dubbing twister and started to spin it all tight, being careful to free any hackle fibers from the dubbing brush as it formed. When everything was at a 90-degree angle, it was simply a matter of sweeping the fibers back and wrapping up toward the eye.
At any rate, it's not an elegant solution but with the right thread (I'm loving the Griffith's 14/0) and a reasonably long feather, it gives me another option of getting feather fibers in a dubbed thorax rather than the "wind-and-bind" method I was using before.
Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
It is real pleasure watching the evolution of a tying technique such as this.
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"
Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
Neat technique. It would probably work best on almost "bodiless" spiders thereby avoiding the extra bulk of a heavier underbody.
Aaron
Aaron
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Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
This is good stuff..........great stuff. i agree with both Bill and Aaron completely. Beautiful flies and pics. Your very creative C.B. And thankx for the lesson. btw, if you need some hooks, lemme know.....PM addy.
Learn to see with your ears and hear with your eyes
CAUSE, it don't mean a thing, if it aint got that swing.....
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CAUSE, it don't mean a thing, if it aint got that swing.....
http://www.pureartflytying.ning.com
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Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
My mouth is hanging open, in awe. Gorgeous!
Ray (letumgo)----<°))))))><
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"The world is perfect. Appreciate the details." - Dean
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Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
Ha...thanks, guys. I think Aaron is on the money, though: the 14723's might work if you're fishing to caddis, but I think it's technique better suited to longer shanked hooks. (To my eyes there's nothing more elegant that the classic "Spey" profile--I envy those of y'all who have cause to fish 'em. )It would probably work best on almost "bodiless" spiders
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Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
CB, that's a cool technique. I would be hours trying to get it to look as nice as these. Those bodies are really nice and the hackle technique puts these into some new catagory. These are really nice.
w
w
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Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
A couple of more using a little smaller hook:
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Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
WOW!!!!! and the hits just keep commin'.
Learn to see with your ears and hear with your eyes
CAUSE, it don't mean a thing, if it aint got that swing.....
http://www.pureartflytying.ning.com
CAUSE, it don't mean a thing, if it aint got that swing.....
http://www.pureartflytying.ning.com
Re: Tongue-tied and twisted...
Wow is right! What is the body on that last one, the white one?
Vicki
Vicki
Listen with your ears, hear with your heart.