Stonefly/hopper wing material
While working in the garden, found some landscape fabric at Home Depot that makes real nice stonefly and hopper wings. This stuff has the texture of Tyvek (not the black plastic mesh material), comes in a dark brownish color, cuts easily, doesn't seem to fray. Can't remember how much it cost, but I've just got scraps left from mulching and have enough to last a long time. A full roll would supply enough material for a plague of locust of Biblical proportions.
Regards,
Scott
One of the really good fly tiers ....
.... I knew down in SE Idaho ( BB member gbflytier ) used and promoted Tyvek ( the white building wrap ) itself for wings on hoppers and stoneflies and such.
I saw a number of flies that Gary incorporated it in, and they were pretty neat. To the point that I actually acquired a couple square feet of the stuff from a local builder at his job site. Unfortunately, I never got around to using it in flies, so I can't speak from personal experience.
Tyvek, according to Gary, takes marking pen quite nicely. So you can pretty much control ( depending on your color perception and artistic ability ) what kind of wings you put on your critters.
John
P.S. Scott - it occurs to me that if Tyvek takes color really well, you could color the underside of the wings to the natural, and put a hi-vis color on at least part of the top of the wing for visibility, or even just leave part of the top white ??
It will be a while 'til the golden stones ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ScottP
...For the golden stones I'm tying, I don't think visibility will be as much of an issue as with the skwalas. The ones I've seen were pretty "active" so I'm tying them much bushier; color is a lot easier to see than the dull olive of the skwalas, too. I know you had great success with your FEB for the golden stone hatch; I hope you'll give some of mine a try....
... are out, but I'll be tying on one of yours, for sure, as soon as they make the scene.
John