im looking for a challenge...

[spoof85]

hey guys,

So I've been tying a lot this winter, and I'm getting a little tired of tying the same old patterns, a few clients had me replicate some flies from the twenties... it took me about 30 minutes to examine, sift through materials, and replicate the thing the best i could... funny actually, i tried to find scraggly deer hair, and all i have is straight... worked so hard to get straight deer hair, and now i need scraggly hair! lol funny how that happens....

pics:

original:
original.jpg
Replica:
new.jpg

the customer was pleased, and so was i....

I'm looking for either something to replicate, or just something complicated, a challenge of sorts... preferably a nymph, i'm not too picky though... any suggestions anyone?

-spoof

PS, the materials i used for that fly are:

*size 4-3x hook
*brown deer for the tail and wings
*chocolate hairline dubbing for the body
*thin copper wire for segmenting, dubbing brushed over
*brown Kevlar thread (its all i had in brown)
*i never add weight for this customer, he prefers to add as necessary (same with the eyes)

it may not be exactly what the original is... but the customer is happy.

[AlanB]

Way back in the dim and distant past, when I was learning to tie there was one fly that my instructor used to judge my progress. It is very different to what you usually tie, and requires some finesse with the materials to get a good result. The Invicta. Its a very old wet fly from a famous British fly tier James Ogden. There are a couple of variations (well several really), silver, and pearly are the most commonly used variations.

Hook: Wet fly 8 to 14,
Thread: Brown.
Tail: Golden pheasant topping.
Rib: Gold oval tinsel or gold wire in smaller sizes. (Silver on the silver and pearly).
Body: Original was Amber seal's fur (you can use a sub). Silver is flat silver tinsel. Pearly is flat pearl tinsel.
Body: Natural red game palmered (as with all palmered hackles the number of turns of hackle should equal the number of turns of rib).
Wing: Hen pheasant paired slips, either from the centre tail or the wings. The wing is usually tied long, reaching to the tip of the tail.
Beard Hackle: Blue Jay (you can sub almost any blue dyed feather, Blue galina is the most common).

The Invicta represents a swimming caddis pupa, and is one of our most productive flies here. The silver can be more productive some days, it is a better fly for sea trout (sea run browns) than the original. To go fishing without a good stock of Invictas here is just, well, unthinkable.
Here's the original.

And the Silver Invicta.

(I know not a nymph but a challenge)

If you want a nymph you could try a really simple one. It is very simple, but again, it takes a little care and finesses to tie well. My variation on the PTN. The BiColour Nymph.

Or you could tie it reversed.

The reversed tied was a FOTW.

Those should keep your fingers occupied!

Cheers,
A.

[spoof85]

thanks or the reply, i will try these in a few hours, its currently 2:30 AM here ... i will post the completed flies for examination as soon as i can!

its good to hear from you AlanB, i've been away too long... i remember that FOTW.... on the first BiColour did you half hitch the wire as well?
-spoof

[AlanB]

... on the first BiColour did you half hitch the wire as well?
-spoof

Yes that's how I do it. To tie the "normal" one, tie in body and rib first. Return the thread to the eye and tie in the back forward over the eye. Form the body and thorax, and whip finish. Fold the back over the top and fasten down with the rib. Half hitch the wire behind the thorax.

I know there is another version of this fly around. It involves tying in the back at the head in a more traditional way. I don't know which pattern came first. I developed this method around 10 years ago when searching for an easier way to imitate dorsal and ventral colours than weaving. At the time I was working on another problem as well. How to incorporate a bead into a Czech Nymph under the shell back without creating a big head on the front. I cracked that, which changed the way I tie Czech Nymphs totally (See this). Then it occurred that the same technique would crack the nymph problem as well.

We operate on very different times! Its early (not that early) morning. The new day has started here.

Cheers,
A.

[spoof85]

here is my first attempt at the Invicta:

1st.jpg

i should have beefed the body up a bit more, spent more time on the head, tails too full, beard is too robust.... all in all, for the first time, and only going off your pictures, i think i did fairly well... (i don't want to cheat and look up a SBS or video... that would ruin the challenge...)

just for fun:

first.jpg

comments?

any other suggestions, or Flies?

[spoof85]

Half hitch the wire.

that is a fantastic idea, after making that nymph, my brain spun with ideas... i guess i thought wire wouldn't keep tension like thread when half hitched...
you seem to have a habit of making my gears turn... and for that, i thank you..

[AlanB]

It is a good idea to put a drop of head cement on the half hitch, but then again we do that with thread so its no worse.
Cheers,
A.

[spoof85]

i did, figured it wouldn't hurt, and if it lets the fly last 1 more cast, it was worth it...

i'm going to spin a bunch of those up... i have a feeling they will do really well in my local streams...

[AlanB]

That's not a bad go at a first Invicta. Making every turn of thread is important on that fly. Just one topping feather makes enough of a tail. You can get away with making the tail a little longer if you have a bushier feather. I have no secret to share when it comes to palmering hackle. Just practice. I try to pay great attention to what I'm doing when I tie a fly, but I have no idea what I am doing now with palmered hackle that I wasn't when I started. Perhaps it is down to the better quality hackle we have today.

The Bi Colour is a fun tie, something a little different. I can't tell if you have used a bead for the thorax in yours. I usually make mine using the buts of the pheasant tail tied in for the back. As they are tied in on top of the hook you can double them back to create a lump, them once the body is wound over the top of it you have a thoracic lump. One advantage with this is it is all on the top of the hook shank. Keeping the gap free. Important on small flies.

It is an idea after half hitching the wire to put a drop of head cement on it, but we do that with thread so its no worse.

I've loads of patterns, what sort of thing would you like? In a similar vein to the Invicta is the Dunkeld.


If you have someone on hand who can untangle your fingers afterwards you can have a go at a really fast sinking fly.


Cheers,
A.

[spoof85]

the bi colour: i did not use a bead, that is just dark brown thread... i took a piece on marabou and spun it continuously as i wrapped forward... marabou makes that fly very "leggy".

the DunKeld: unfortunately, i cant get jungle cock, I've tried and tried... never available anywhere, so the Dunkeld is out.... great tie though

the wire monster: i have tried tying that wired beast before... i believe you have that fly showcased in your one article "the possibilities of wire," i still have that by the way... lol
i cant for the life of me get the wire to sit flat as you come up around the bend... maybe its time to give that a go again.. lol (now that i have a little more experience)


as for what types of challenges... i have no idea how you tie this guy...


Organzacaddis_0023Sm_zpsfbecfe9b.jpg (this is one of AlanB's, not mine, just to clarify...)

stuff like this it a challenge to me... at least without a materials list...
how did you tie that guy anyway?
-spoof