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Thread: Traditional Flies

  1. Default Traditional Flies

    As a few people asked, yes I do dress traditional flies as well. Here are a few random picks from my seatrout box. They will work for seatrout in rivers, and of course as traditional patterns in lakes etc.

    The dressings are given below, right to left;

    Practically all the flies in the photos are on size 8 hooks.





    These are my dressings, and may differ somewhat from the "originals".

    From left to right;
    Jungle Alexandra
    Hook: 12 to 6
    Tail: Red ibis, ( sub red goose or similar)
    Body: Flat silver, ribbed oval silver or silver wire.
    Hackle: Natural Black hen
    Wing: Peacock sword fibres
    Sides: Jungle cock

    Freeman?s Fancy
    Hook: 12 to 6
    Tail: Orange toucan ( sub orange hackle fibres.
    Body: Flat gold tinsel ribbed gold wire
    Hackle: Bright magenta cock or hen.
    Wings: Rolled bronze Mallard with jungle cock sides.

    March Brown
    Hook: 14 to 6
    Tail: Fibres of hen pheasant tail ( or same as hackle)
    Body: Well blended hare body fur ( guard hair!)
    Rib: Oval gold tinsel, or wire.
    Hackle: Dark brown partridge.
    Wing: Hen pheasant "quill".

    No-name.

    Hook: 10 to 6
    Tail: Golden pheasant tippet
    Body: Black seal fur, well brushed out with velcro after ribbing.
    Rib: Oval silver, or wire.
    Hackle: Blue guinea fowl.

    Watson?s Fancy

    Hook: 12 to 6
    Tail: Golden pheasant crest.
    Body: rear two thirds red, last third black seal fur.
    Rib: Oval silver or wire.
    Hackle: Natural black hen.
    Wings: Crow with jungle cock sides. ( Original = Tail from Blackcock).

    Claret Bumble
    Hook: 8
    Tail: Red swan ( original had no tail).
    Body: Medium claret seal fur
    Body hackles: medium claret cock, and natural blck cock wound together.
    Rib: gold or silver wire ( Original had no rib)
    Shoulder hackle: Blue jay

    Butcher
    Hook: 8
    Tail: Red ibis, ( sub goose or swan or red hackle fibres)
    Body: Flat silver ribbed oval silver or wire.
    Hackle: Natural black hen.
    Wings: Mallard blues, jungle cock sides

    Bruiser
    Hook: 8
    Tail: A bunch of flax blue wool.
    Body: Gentian blue wool.
    Body hackles: Gentian blue cock, and natural black cock.
    Rib. silver wire.

    Greenwell?s Glory
    Hook: 8
    Tail: Tippets
    Body: Well waxed bright yellow floss ( turns olive!)
    Rib: Oval or round gold.
    Hackle: Greenwell hen.
    Wings. Grey mallard primary slips.

    No-name

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Tippets
    Body: Flat gold ribbed oval or wire.
    Hackle: Natural black hen.
    Wings: Rolled bronze mallard, jungle cock sides.

    No-name

    Hook: 8
    Body: Black cat fur ( Sub seal etc)
    Rib: Oval silver or wire
    Hackle: Natural black hen.

    No-name

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Cock ring-neck pheasant center tail fibres.
    Body: First half flat gold, second half medium olive seal
    Rib: Oval gold or wire.
    Hackle: Brown hen
    Wings: Hen pheasant primary slips.

    Wickham?s Fancy
    Hook: 8
    Tail: Brown hackle fibres
    Body: Flat gold tinsel or lurex
    Body Hackle: Brown henny cock (= Soft cock hackle)
    Rib: Oval gold or wire.
    Wings: Grey mallard primary slips.

    Mallard and Claret
    Hook: 8
    Body: Claret seal fur. ( Mix three clarets!)
    Rib: Oval gold or wire
    Hackle: Natural black hen.
    Wings: Bronze mallard.

    Green Peter

    Hook: 8
    Body: Medium olive and yellow seal fur well mixed
    Body hackle: Brown cock
    Rib: Gold oval or wire
    Wings: Hen pheasant primary slips
    Front hackle: Brown hen

    Teal Blue and Silver
    Hook: 8
    Tail; Tippets
    Body: Flat silver ribbed oval silver, or wire.
    Hackle: Cambridge blue hen hackle. ( The fly in the picture is washed out to a very light blue).
    Wings: Teal

    No-name

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Tippets
    Body: Black silk
    Hackle: natural black hen.
    Wing: Black Arctic fox, jungle cock sides.

    Coachman

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Brown hackle fibres.
    Body: Bronze peacock herl ( Not twisted!)
    Rib. Oval gold.
    Hackle: Brown hen.
    Wings. White duck secondary, with jungle cock "between" the wings.

    No-name
    Tail: Red hackle fibers
    Body: Red seal fur
    Body hackle: Brown cock.
    Rib. Oval gold or wire.
    Front hackle: Brown partridge

    No-Name

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Orange hackle fibres.
    Body: yellow seal fur
    Body hackle: Brown cock.
    Rib: Oval gold.
    Wing: Bronze mallard bunch wing.
    Front hackle. Blue jay small.

    No-name

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Cock pheasant centre tail fibres.
    Body: Cream seal fur, tight.
    Rib: Oval silver.
    Hackle 1 French partridge dyed olive
    Hackle 2 Orange cock.

    No name
    Hook: 8
    Tail: Tippets
    Body: Claret seal fur, well brushed out after ribbing.
    Rib: Oval gold
    Hackle: Black hen
    Wing. Soft brown barred squirrel from base of red squirrel tail.


    No-name

    Hook: 8
    Tail Tippets
    Body: first half flat gold, second half black seal fur.
    Rib: Oval gold
    Hackle: Black hen
    Wing. Folded bronze mallard, with jungle cock sides.

    No-name

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Fluo yellow floss
    Body: Flat silver
    Body hackle: Dark magenta.
    Rib: Oval silver or wire.
    Wings: Peacock herl tips, jungle cock sides.
    Head: Red varnish.

    Freeman?s Fancy ( see above )

    No-name

    Hook:8
    Tail: Scarlet hackle fibres
    Body: Dark claret seal fur.
    Body hackle: Fiery brown cock.
    Rib: Oval gold.
    Front hackle: Light olive hen.

    Peter Ross

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Tippets
    Body: first half flat silver, second half scarlet seal fur, brushed out after ribbing.
    Rib. Oval silver or wire
    Hackle: Black hen.
    Wing: Teal.


    No-Name ( basically a red palmer)

    Hook: 8
    Tail: fluorescent red wool
    Body: Red seal fur
    Body hackle: red/Brown cock.
    Front hackle: Red/brown hen.

    Blue Zulu

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Fluorescent red wool.
    Body: Black wool, tight.
    Body hackle: Black cock
    Rib: Oval silver
    Front hackle. Bright Cambridge blue cock. ( Hackle in picture is badly faded)

    No-name

    Hook: 8
    Tail: Tippets
    Body: First third flat silver, second two thirds black seal fur.
    Rib: Oval silver.
    Hackle: natural black hen.

    TL
    MC

  2. #2

    Default

    very cool Mike!
    do you fish w/ these traditional flies often?
    thanks for sharing,
    , aquabone.

  3. Default

    Quote Originally Posted by aquabone View Post
    very cool Mike!
    do you fish w/ these traditional flies often?
    thanks for sharing,
    , aquabone.
    My pleasure. Can't have people thinking I only use plastic, foam, glue, and magic markers!

    Yes, I fish them regularly. There is a basic difference in fishing for anadromous brown trout ( Sea run browns), and Atlantic salmon though, which don't feed in fresh water, as opposed to many other fish, in that many traditional flies don't represent anything in particular, ( although some do of course), and fly choice is really just personal whim backed with a little experience.

    Over the centuries some patterns have nevertheless established themselves as particular favourites under various conditions.

    Nearly all the flies in those photos ( actually I simply placed them on a flatbed scanner) have been fished, and actually caught fish, so some are a little "raggy" or washed out.

    TL
    MC

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Central Nevada
    Posts
    586

    Default

    Great post Mike! Cool old-style flies. Thanks for sharing these.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Location
    Carmel, ME USA
    Posts
    3,685

    Default

    Mike,

    Lovely, just lovely. Those could be a fly plate from some slick magazine. You say some are raggy from being fished? Nay, I say, those are the ones I like best. Those look like something to add to my collection during the cold winter months. Would a Mustad 3906 be appropriate?

    REE
    Happiness is wading boots that never have a chance to dry out.

  6. Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Eagle Elk View Post
    Mike,

    Lovely, just lovely. Those could be a fly plate from some slick magazine. You say some are raggy from being fished? Nay, I say, those are the ones I like best. Those look like something to add to my collection during the cold winter months. Would a Mustad 3906 be appropriate?

    REE
    Glad you enjoyed them Ron. You may use any hook you like really. Those in the scans are dressed on various hooks, as these flies have been dressed at various times over a period of many years. Some I dressed over forty years ago. I assume the 3906 will be just fine.

    http://www.ezflyfish.com/mustad3906.html

    But I would probably go for the 3906B myself, as many of these flies tend to look a little better on somewhat longer hooks ( 3906B is 1X long) but that is purely aesthetics, and I don't imagine the fish care much!

    http://ezflyfish.stores.yahoo.net/mustad3906b.html

    As long as you are happy with the hooks it doesn't really matter much.

    TL
    MC
    Last edited by Mike-Connor; 12-22-2008 at 07:27 AM.

  7. Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Eagle Elk View Post
    Mike,

    You say some are raggy from being fished?
    REE
    A note of caution!

    Another masterpiece takes shape, as sitting in his lonely room,
    surrounded by materials, the angler plots another fishes doom,
    Hair of rat, and tail of crow, much reminiscent of a witches brew,
    fastened with much care and skill, of natures wares a pattern true.

    But poor artifice you say, compared to all the beauteous flies,
    knowing this, the angler, still undaunted, to copy them still tries,
    even more surprising, than the failure of a perfect copy, still,
    the fish will take imperfect ones, even poor copies, fish will kill.

    Just as well, for centuries, the fish have fallen to such cunning,
    no good reason though to cease, in past successes sunning,
    the search goes on, as generations more of anglers still try,
    with skill and care and articifice, to fashion yet the perfect fly.

    Yet another deadly pattern, is praised and lauded, a sensation,
    but even this avails one nought, is one remiss in presentation.
    amazing really, such single-mindedness, as struck by Cupid,
    which drives a host of men to hunt things basically quite stupid.

    Were this not so, then scarce an angler would have caught a fish,
    barely a minnow, would have landed dead on some Epicurean dish.
    Be not insulted then, when questioned, as to your state of mind,
    be grateful that the fish are not too clever, or somewhat blind.

    By this same token then, laud not your skill above its worth,
    lest this be greeted with derision, and much unseemly mirth,
    you caught a trout, and your skills and knowledge are well firm,
    but small boys do the same, knowing nought, and with a worm.

    Tight Lines! ~ Mike Connor

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Borger, Texas
    Posts
    912

    Default

    Mike,

    Lovely job. Very nice flies. I appreciate seeing the traditional wet flies like you have tied and put on the board. There is just something special about the old wet patterns. Part of the tradition I guess.

    I hope to tie and use more of the traditional wets for what I fish for most, bluegills, this year. I already have a few traditional wets but they are neat enough look at and to carry that I would like an entire box of nothing but them.

    I also appreciate seeing the patterns listed.

    Thanks!

    Thanks and regards,

    Gandolf

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Lebanon,TN 37087
    Posts
    277

    Default

    Great flies Mike; I really enjoy the the traditional, wets.

    Just tied some Coachman Trudes.
    Member FFF , TU, MTFF
    Ron

  10. #10
    Uncle Barry Guest

    Default

    Good morning MC.
    GREAT Wets !

    Your tie ?
    I noticed that on all the flies the hackle used on the throat areas that they were heavy, full and long.

    Is this from some standard or your 'way' of building, construction of wets ?

    Myself I've always made my throats only, the max, length reach to the point of the hook and then very lightly constructed, so that there appeared a top and bottom to the fly.

    Is there any reason for your way, or is it the look of the old wets, from long ago.

    I wonder if anglers are now just rediscovering the wet fly and stopping all this b/s of it must be a dry fly or your not fly fishing ?

    Kind regards,
    UB

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