Need some help with A.K. Best style Quill Body

[Darryl]

I've been on a quill body kick for a bit now. I just love them - think that they look great and prefer them very much over dubbed body dry flies.

I'd like to tye up some Sulphur Parachutes to immitate the Ephemerella Dorothea that hatch in Pennsylvania in late May / early June. I've got the A.K. Best book "Tying and Bleaching Natural Materials", which is a wonderful book. I've used the dye recipes in the back to dye quills for Light Cahills and Blue Winged Olives. My problem is that there is no recipe for "Sulphur Orange" in there. So if anyone has a recipe for Sulphur Orange dye, please let me know.

If it helps, these mayflies tend to be a pale orange color with perhaps some yellow mixed in. They are definately orange though. I'd be pretty happy with just coming close to the standard "Sulphur Orange" color that most shops sell Turkey Biots in.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-Darryl

[troutstalker99]

Darryl, I wish I could help with the dye but I don't dye much of my own stuff, I just have to say I love the qoute on the bottom, if she only knew.

[rookie]

Darryl,

Give this a try. Make any color you want with good success. http://www.corsetsupplies.com/Rit%20Dye%20Kit.htm

[Bamboozle]

Darryl:

If it helps any; I have fished this hatch in PA since the beginning of my fly fishing days since it happens to be one of the only hatches of any substance on the Limestoners I frequent in the Cumberland Valley and Lehigh Valley.

That being said; I have tied my sulphurs to match the naturals I've encountered and have used tan, cream, pale yellow, and yellow with equal success. I never bothered with orange 'cause I never see any orange naturals where I fish.

The fish must agree with my choices because I catch them all the time on my patterns. If I was you; (unless you have seen lots of orange Sulphurs), just make them yellow and you'll be fine.

[A K Best]

Hi Darryl,

I ran into the same problem when I fished this hatch in PA a few years ago. Try mixing a tiny amount of orange dye with the yellow, or first dye to yellow then mix a weak dye bath of orange and over dye with the orange. Test first! It's easy to get the orange dye too strong.

Good luck!

A. K.

[Darryl]

Thanks eveyone for your wonderful advice.

Bamboozle, the ones I see in May on this particular stream definately have an orange cast to them. However, as you've said, on different streams I've seen ones that are much yellower with no or hardly any orange to them.

Wow, I can't believe A.K. Best actually replied to my post! That's cool!!! Thanks A.K., I've learned loads of great stuff from your books and videos over the years. The new DVD's are incredible!

-Darryl

[Chuck441]

Darryl- A.K. replied to your post because most well-known flyfisherfolk are O.K. types. A few have swelled heads, but most are fine men and women.

Chuck