o most defiantly, did u ever sit down and really study an 2 insects of the same species... hell... same hatch? they are all alittle different... they don't care, they are hungry!
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o most defiantly, did u ever sit down and really study an 2 insects of the same species... hell... same hatch? they are all alittle different... they don't care, they are hungry!
catskill style;
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I would define the Catskill style as a pattern which has a stiff tail, stiff hackle and upright divided wings which, when tied correctly (in proportions of length of material) forms a "float line" when sitting atop the water: Tail tips, bottom of barb of hook, and tips of the hackle. The divided wing material should be about 20% higher than the hackle tips.
Okay spoof. I'll try and tackle your question. However, I'm fairly sure there'll be others who have some other definition of the two(2) terms I am about to 'tackle'(pun intended).
1. Catskill 'STYLE' - Basically what Byron said in his reply. More often then not the divided wings are woodduck(or substitute). A couple of patterns call for mallard flank.
Hook - I don't recall the brand(Nyack?) that preceeded Mustad but those 2 companies basically set the standard insofar as hook dimensions.
Wing - Usually woodduck but some other feathers too. Upright and divided(had originally been a clump).
Height = back of eye to bend of hook(almost as tall as the tail is long).
Tail - Stiff hackle, usually from spade feather. Length = front of eye to the far end of the bend of hook.
Body - Dubbed fur, floss or stripped quill(peacock or hackle).
Hackle - Good quality stiff barbs. Height = 1-1/2 to 2 times the gap of hook.
2. Catskill 'FLY' - Basically a fly pattern that was originally designed to be fished on Catskill waters. They may or may not be in the Catskill 'style'. A few examples of flies in this catagory include: the Dette and the Darbee Coffin flies, 2 feather fly, Hewitt (Neversink)Skater, Bivisible, Bumblepuppy, Black Nose Dace, caddises by Len Wright, riffle dun, and there are many others.
I think if you had to find one, and only one, commonality among all of these it would be the use of 'natural' materials. However, the use of some synthetics or substitute materials is not a disqualifying attribute.
Hope this somewhat clears up the terms.
OH - Good start with your flies.
Allan
The hook that was preferred was an Allcock.
If you can get some 6 or 8/0 thread your heads will turn out smaller and better.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is a collection of Catsill pics.
http://home.comcast.net/~rlonghunter...685de9be0401f0
Catskill-style flies originated, of all places, in the Catskills, no less, probably beginning with Theodore Gordon's tying of the the "Quill Gordon" dry fly in the late 1800's.
While you can probably find a lot of information on this style of tying, here's just one link with a bit of information: http://www.catskillmtn.org/guide-mag...-fly-tier.html
thanks guys, defiantly cleared that up for me lol
From the Catskill fly tyers guild website:
Catskill Style involves tradition and discipline regarding proportion and choice of materials. This doctrine has been concisely defined for us by Harry Darbee in his book "Catskill Flytier":
"Its characteristics: a good sized hook, typically size 12 Model Perfect, a notably lean spare body, usually spun fur or stripped quill of peacock herl; a divided wing of lemon colored mottled barbules of a woodduck flank feather; a few sparse turns of incredibly stiff, clean, glassy cock's hackle, mostly either blue dun or ginger.
The wings and hackle are set back from the eye of the hook, leaving an unusually long clean "neck" at the expense of a slightly shortened body."
If you're interested in studying "Catskill Style" further I would definitely suggest reading 'Tying Catskill-Style Dry Flies' by Mike Valla. Not only a good source of information regarding some of the patterns found but a very good history of the Catskill region, it's fishermen and tyers. I live in upstate NY about 4 hours from the Cats and NEVER realized the rich history found there.