Dry Fly Proportions

Awhile back, we had a thread about the original references for proportions for Catskill-style flies. I believe the earliest anyone knew of was back in the 1940s? I tried to find the thread but couldn't.

Anyway, I downloaded the 1919 edition of H.G. McClelland's The Trout Fly Dresser's Cabinet of Devices, which according to Mike Valla, was one of the original learnings tools for both the Dettes and the Darbees.

McClelland calls for the wing of a mayfly dun and spinner to be as long as the head, thorax, and abdomen (the shank), with the tail of the dun to be in a ratio of 7:6 to the shank. For a spinner, McClelland says the tail should be in a 7:4 ratio to the shank.

The book was originally written in the 1890s I believe, so these proportions may have been printed then.

-Steven

Steven,
I remember the thread quite well. It didn't go well for me. Are you just looking for the earliest published proportions, or are you looking for what proportions work best? I personally think that today's materials may influence appropriate proportions of a "standard divided wing dry fly". For example, the hackle of the long ago days was not as stiff as today's hackle. Leiser recorded that the Dette's mentioned that they wanted a certain sort of "springy" hackle for their dry flies so as not to break the meniscus of the water.

The most interesting thing to me is that the placement (location) and vector angle of the wings seems to me to be the factor that never receives adequate attention in standard divided wing flies. The wings, it seems to me affect the balance of the fly more than any other factor.

I note, as an aside, a comment Fran Betters made while tying his Ausable Wulff pattern. That is, he mentions that the tailing material might be longer than usually called for as it helps maintain balance................

This conjers up the iamge of a nerdish Rainbow rising to my fly and pulling a ruler out of a pocket protector and rejects the fly for a 0.005 dimensional error:roll:

I was just trying to help with that original thread.

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Originally Posted by Jack Hise

This conjers up the iamge of a nerdish Rainbow rising to my fly and pulling a ruler out of a pocket protector and rejects the fly for a 0.005 dimensional error:roll:

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That mostly happens where the Hooch runs by Ga. Tech, but it's the Browns, of German descent.

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Originally Posted by Steven

I was just trying to help with that original thread.

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Steven,
I believe I started that particular thread and appreciate your post.

Heh Heh - 'No good deed goes unpunished', if you get my drift(pun intended), LOL.

Allan

I can testify that I have seen trout in the Au Sable swim up to my fly with a digital calipers to examine it thoroughly before rejecting it. Stephen, I do enjoy the historical perspective on fly tying.