Some Spider Patterns

[JeffHamm]

Hi,
Just working on my fly photography, so thought I would post a few spider patterns that I'm going to be tossing in the river soon (I hope).

Pritt lists this as a Blue Dun (actually, Pritt called it a "Waterhen Bloa", but then says it's identical to someone else's Blue Dun. And, I had to make some substitutes for nearly everything so who know what this would be called )
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/ ... lueDun.jpg

Here's a "Winter Brown" (though I've used brown floss instead of orange for the body)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/ ... rBrown.jpg

Here's an Iron Blue Dun
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/ ... lueDun.jpg

And this is Pritt's "Greentail"
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/ ... enTail.jpg

The last two are not quite as well focused, but it's getting better!

- Jeff

[edit: I've edited out the img tag as the images seem a bit large and may slow things up]

[rookie]

Jeff,

These are very good looking spiders. Are they all on the same size hook, and if so, might I ask what size?

[JeffHamm]

Thanks rookie!

The "Blue Dun" is a size 16, the Winter Brown is size 12, and the last two are size 14.

- Jeff

[Donald Nicolson]

Nice Spiders Jeff. They all look good.
I think the last two have been on the sauce, a bit blurry round the edges.

[JeffHamm]

Thanks Donald,

I'm still working on figuring out the distance my camera has to be to focus on the fly properly. And, my lighting isn't very consistent. None of this should come as a surprise because all I'm doing now is holding the camera in one hand and holding a sheet of paper behind the fly in the other hand. This neither makes for a stable camera shot, nor for easy to reproduce parameters! Still, it's a lot of fun.

- Jeff

[dmdmd]

Well done flies--

a spider is one of my favorite searching dlies here in Western Mass---lots of luck at the Swift and the Farmington with this

[MOturkE]

Jeff,

If you don't have a tripod yet, get one quick. Also, get one of the clamp-on lamps with the silver globe from the lighting dept. of your local hardware store/shop. Clamp it to the tripod to shine on the vise.

Set your vise near the wall and tape the paper to the wall as your background, or tape the paper to an empty cereal box and set it behind the fly.

When you photograph close up you may have to move the clamp light to another location, but that shouldn't be difficult to manage. Also, make sure whether your digital camera has a "macro" setting and use it for really close photography.

Keep working at it and you'll only get better. Good luck.

[JeffHamm]

Hi dmdmd,

Thanks! Wee wets (both spiders and winged versions) are not used a great deal here. Nymphing, dry fly, and sinking lines with large lure/streamer patterns are the most common methods. I've found, however, that like everywhere else in the world, a floating line and wee wets works well too. Having become interested in spider patterns, I've been trying them out for awhile now. So far, they've produced well in just about every river I've fished with any regularity.

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi MOturkE,

Thanks for the tips. I've discovered the macro feature, and will sort out a system for the backdrop and lighting. You've given me a few ideas to play with. I've not checked to see if the camera can be attached to a tri-pod, but if it can't I can set up a steady platform, etc. I think I know where in the apartment I can set up a white paper backdrop and not get into too much trouble.

- Jeff

[flyfishfairwx]

Hello Jeff

I thought that "Spiders" had a palmered hackle, sparcly
mind you.. The flies you photo'd much better than any I have done I might add, look like soft hackle wets, like from Dave Hughes's Soft Hackle book.. Am I just getting "CRAFT" or is the term "spider" interchangeable for wet and dry type flies..