A Question for the Darbee/Dette Experts Out There

[Bamboozle]

Great pix!

Thanks again Hans!

[lastchance]

Bamboozle, are you the same Bamboozle I know from another web site? I go by Goose on that one.

[Bamboozle]

lastchance:

'taint me on FFP although I personally know that "Bamboozle"; he built me a couple of rods and is possibly more deserving of the handle since he makes 'em and I just fish 'em.

[Fatman]

At Terry Hellekson's site he has photo's and patterns for a bunch of Catskill flies that Elsie Darbee tied, here's the page

http://www.hellekson.com/catskill_dry_flies.htm

Hope it helps

Fatman

[RonMT]

There is a copy of the Dette's 1935 catalog on here someplae? But I can't find it? But that is no one's falt but my own. LOL

Back in those time's we used but two color's of thread 98 percent of the time. Black and white.

In the catalog they do not list a thread color for any of there flies. But I have some of there flies and white is the correct color used on that pattern.

In the catalog on here the pattern is as follows.

Gordon Quill: Quill Body, Blue-gray Tail, Blue-gray Hackle, Tan Speckled Wings.

One thing to remember they also tied flies the way the person ordering them wanted them.. Some may have ordered those flies with black thread? One never know's.

The white thread we used back then would take on the body color most of the time. Not like it was the same color but it would be close. I still have a bunch of it left to LOL. Ron

[ashbourn]

Ron,
The Dette's used white thread unless it was for ribbing, something like the usual where you need the red head the the thread to bleed through, or a tag on a wet or something simular. Even wets and nymphs were tied with white thread, the heads were lacquered brown a color that was very popular at the time.
The old catalogs are great sources for patterns but general terms of the time were used.
Blue-gray was a standard term for various shades of Dun, like Brown Dun, Blue Dun, Gray Dun, ect. Tan speckled was the term for woodduck. Since it was so hard to get tan speckled described woodduck, mandarin, and even mallard dyed woodduck (something the Dette's only used for fanwings or if there was a special request)
I should also say that this pattern like most other patterns of the time had a woodduck tail. Sometime in the mid 30's there was a general switch from woodduck to hackle tails.
Joe Fox

[LadyFisher]

The Dette Catalog is in Old Flies, here:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/feature ... rt275.html

[Bamboozle]

Thanks again all!!

[Royal Wulff]

mr. blur and bamboozle, RW again,

Sorry for getting back to you so late. Art Flick in his "Streamside Guide to Naturals and Their Imitations" suggests on page 65:

"As the peacock quills are somewhat delicate, I suggest that the body be wound with extra-fine gold wire, and that care be taken to cover the dark portion of the quill rather than the light. Ribbing the quill in this manner will assure longer service from the fly."

That was from the Streamside Guide when I bought it in 1972 and it was then in it's sixth printing.

I checked Dette's book, "The Dettes, A Catskill Legend", Darbee's book, "Catskill Flytyer" and my first edition of John McDonald's book,"The Notes and Letters of Theodore Gordon" and so far only found one reference in "Notes and Letters" where Theodore Gordon stated that he laquered the peacock quill to give it protection. Whether he ever wrapped it with gold wire is anybody's guess.

I also ordered a kit from the Orvis Co. for tying about 3 or 4 dozen Gordon Quills back in the 60's. It contained all the materials including a spool of fine gold wire, so apparently the wire wrap was practiced by many fly tyers at that time, including the sample fly they sent me with the kit.

Personally I only use the gold wire if tying a show fly, otherwise I just use good old Sally Hansons for quill protection on the ones I fish with.

I'll be tying at the museum in Livingston Manner for the Fly Fest on February 10 and will check Gordon's original tie of that pattern to see if it is wrapped with gold wire. I've been there a number of times but don't remember. It's heLL gettin old.

Hope this helps.

RW

[Bamboozle]

Thanks RW, I really appreciate the offer of checking out Theo's creation!

The good news (for me); is that I have to tie three flies for this annual season opener swap I do with my buddies. After getting all of this great info I've decided to tie three versions of the Quill Gordon, a Darbee version, a Dette version and a Flick version. It doesn't get better than those three examples!

While all aspects of fly tying interest me, attempting to recreate the classic patterns as tied by the masters is one of the coolest things about fly tying to me.

It's great that there are so many people out there who share in a facination of the history of fly fishing.

Thanks again all!