Some more spiders

Hi,

After looking at some recent threads with great spider patterns, and checking out Donald's site again, I've gotten back into tying a few myself. Took a couple photos and thought I would share them. The first is a classic pattern that has stood the test of time, a Snipe and Purple. Probably best tied a bit smaller on a size 16, this one is a size 14 and works well here. It's a simple tie, as most spiders are, just purple thread and a snipe feather hackle tied in perpendicular to the hook. I've waxed the thread, though that's not necessary anymore.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...ipe_Purple.jpg

This pattern is, as far as I know, a new one but done in a very classic style. I've used UniThread light blue thread, waxed and touch dubbed with Hare's mask. The hackle is a waterhen feather, with a peacock herl collar. I was tying up some waterhen bloa's (drop the collar and use yellow thread; although I think the dubbing is tradionally mole, which I don't have), which is a brilliant pattern by the way, and thought the light blue thread would work well for a darker version. The closest Pritt lists is a "Blue Partidge", which has a blue silk body dubbed with lamb's wool, and a partridge feather hackle.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...e_Waterhen.jpg

Now, if the weather would just fine up enough to get a day on the water I could actually try these out.

- Jeff

Very nice Jeff,
The original dubbing for the Waterhen Bloa isn't mole, originally it was water rat (vole), but unfortunately protected and very illegal to harvest. Similar in colour and texture but much longer in staple. With mole there isn't enough length of fibre to create the dubbing effect. The best substitute I've found is muskrat underfur. Make sure there are no guard hairs caught up in it. With care and practice you can get a body with a halo of dubbing extending to 1/4" from the hook, yet still clearly see the thread.
Cheers,
A.

Thanks Alan. Getting that haze of dubbing while still having the thread show through is something I'm hoping to achieve one day. My one and only UK trout (caught from a pay to play pond, West Mere I believe, near Manchester) was caught on a Waterhen Bloa tied with various substitutes that I had on hand at the time. I've got a number of skins that have a nice dark grey underfur with long fibres that just might do the trick.

- Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I've tied a few Waterhen Bloa's as well. As Alan wrote, muskrat underfur works ok, but so does just about any darker color of squirrel body underfur, and Chinchilla underfur as well. For the body "haze", you can try wrapping your thread/silk from near the head back, and then split it, insert your fur any way that you like and twist it back up, and palmer it somewhat closely together going back towards the head while sweeping back the hair a little after every turn to keep it from getting caught up. This will leave small gaps in between showing the thread color, segmentation, and keeping your hair/dubbing loop even more sparse hair wise. Waterrat hair is extremely fine. Even when touch dubbed, enough of it clings to Pearsall's #4 yellow that it changes the thread color from a rich yellow to a dark dun in a hurry.

Regards,
Mark

Thanks for the tips Mark. I've tied up a Waterhen Bloa, touch dubbing with mole (found my skin), and this one looks ok in the vice. How well the dubbing will hold up to a cast and wetting, well, remains to be seen! Properly tied it should be ok, but it could be that the dubbing will just come loose. I'm figure the wax will help bind it in.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...erhen_Bloa.jpg

- Jeff

Beautifully done; so spare and simple it seems the only thing holding them together is faith in the pattern.

Regards,
Scott

Hi Scott,

Thanks very much. Spiders are very delicate looking. But, apart from my touch dubbing, they are actually pretty durable flies. I find more complicated patterns often are more prone to fall apart, partly because there is just more stuff to come off and/or for the trout to catch their teeth in. Properly done the dubbing on the waterhen bloa should also be very secure (Mark's splitting the thread and palmering would be very solid). But yes, they do look like they would come apart in a stiff breeze. I think that's one of the things I like about them.

- Jeff

Thats the beastie Jeff, it looks, well, right.
Was it Westlow Mere you fished? It is about 20 mile from where I grew up. If ever you are over that way again let me know I'll put you onto some fishing. Unfortunatly we have a riparian ownership system for water over here. Almost anywhere you want to fish you will have to pay. Generally the better the fishing the more you will pay. Even with a very fat cheque book some water will not be available. A few years ago Nick Faldo (the golfer) bought the fishing rights to a length of the River Test. If my memory serves he bought a mile and a half, which worked out at ?375 per foot. However, if you do your research there is good free or inexpensive fishing available.

Often I come across the myth that these soft hackles move in the water. If you fish them dead drift the hackle has nothing to move it, so will drift open like the spokes of an umbrella. If you swing them then they will collapse against the body of the fly. Movement of the hackle is something I've never been able to see when I have observed these flies in the water.

Some years ago I was fortunate enough to obtain a few of the original hooks, over 100 years old. What surprised me was the length of the shank. By modern standards they would be 1 or 2x long shanks. No wonder the illustrations showed them tied short. Of course hooks were much less available in the days of Edmonds, Lee, Pritt and Stuart. They had to use what they had available. Hence they tied small flies on quite large (long) hooks. This, I suspect, is the origin of the "tying short" of these flies. Of course there is much speculation, to know we would have to get into the minds of the original tiers. What would they make of the fly tying materials of today? I very much doubt that there was more to it than making something, from what was readily available to them, that put food on the table. Today we have the leisure time to consider them more.
Cheers,
Alan.

Hi Alan,

Thanks for that! And yes, Westlow Mere was it. The fishing rights differ so much from country to country. I believe access is not so expensive in Scotland as in England, or so I've been told. I would think there would be some nice spots if one looks a bit northward, away from the cities.

As for the hackle movement, as the hook bobs and is tossed a bit by the flow, I suppose the hackles will flutter, like flags on a pole. I wouldn't think much movement would be required, or even desired, since the real thing is supposed to be drowned anyway! But that's all conjecture, I do know they seem to work well for me. A lot of what is written in the books is, I think, what the writer imagins is happening as the fly drifts down through the current. What it really does, as you point out, could be quite different.

I believe some of the images Donald has posted of Tummel style fles from older books also look like they were tied on what we would call 2x shank hooks. Indeed, anglers have always made use of what they had on hand, and you know, that seems to work just fine.

- Jeff

Scotland (where I now live) has the most expensive fishing in the UK. However, here in the Highlands trout fishing is inexpensive. The local club here has fishing on 5 lochs and costs only 15 UKP a year (about $24) with boat hire for 5UKP a day (for the boat, not per angler as in England). If you want to fish for Atlantic Salmon then 1000 UKP per day is not unknown. The highest price I've heard about is 14000 UKP per rod per day.

One of our best patterns on the lochs here is a Welsh spider pattern, the Tavy Terror. Originally a river fly with a black thread body, gold tinsel rib, and a brown (red game) hen hackle. We have varied it in a couple of ways. First was to replace the tinsel with wire. This was done to make the fly stand up to the teeth of the trout better. The other variation that has proved itself is to make the body from 2 strands of black and one of gold coloured copper wire. This just helps to anchor the team of flies a little better.

It is a little strange but if I am tying for tying's sake I will stick to the original pattern, tying for fishing I don't hesitate to vary a dressing according to need.

Cheers,
A.

Hi Alan,

15 pounds a year is good. 14K a day is a bit steep though! Eeep! Thanks for the description of the Tavy Terror. I've used a similar pattern, with a black hackle, tied small (size 16) for a small stream I fish. (I just added a gold tinsel rib to a black spider, but it probably has a name).

- Jeff

Jeff,

Been away and then saw this thread. Nice spiders, my friend, clean, sparse, and classic, just the way I like them.

REE

Thanks REE, I thought you would like these. I recommend the Waterhen Bloa as one to give a try in a size 14. Any decent grey hackle can be used as a substitute if you don't have moorhen, such as a grey feather from a mallard wing or from a common pigeon.

- Jeff

The nearest substitute for waterhen is a grey hackle from a jackdaw scalp, Put the two feathers side by side and you will have difficulty telling them apart.

Cheers,
A.