Quote Originally Posted by AlanB View Post
The problem of will the fly balance as it should isn't a question of which way up it will stand, but is 90 degrees to that. Will it tip forward or back. You may have a real problem with tying that fly on a long shank hook. Having tried them I soon found out why Roy now ties them on standard and short shank hooks. The bend of the hook, being such a long way from the support of the hackle, will hang down in the water. My solution was to tie them on Partridge K14ST hooks, that have a similar bend but much shorter shank. Every one I tried on 200r or K12 ST model hooks suffered from this problem. Here's a picture of one that Roy published just yesterday,
Attachment 12800

If you look at the illustrations in Roy's FOTW you will see that his hook isn't a very long long shank, with an upturned eye. Also the hackle is placed far enough back to almost touch the hook point. All factors in overcoming this balance problem.

I'm sure I have seen a similar version to yours before Scott, It is almost identical to one in Progressive Fly Tying published several years ago!

Cheers,
A.
Nice looking fly Alan. That ol' Roy doesn't seem to have any trouble getting his ties to just look plain "fishy" does he! I like this one.

Jeremy.