Spider???

[Carpcrazy]

Hi guyys, can this fly be considered a spider?

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Very nice looking fly , but I think the beadhead takes it away from being a spider. Check out Donald Nicklesons website. It has a beautiful selection of all types of spiders.

http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/

On second thought why not a bead head spider? Hmmmmm

[Carpcrazy]

GBF, I saw those flies, they are really great, its just that I recieved recently a package of Alec Jackson wet spider trout hooks and I really have no experience with spiders thought the bead may improve its fish catching ability

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Carpcrazy,

While not a spider in the truest sense of the word, it is a very nice wet fly. I usually fish flies of that type in the top 12 inches of the water column or higher, especially during a hatch. They get hit as emerging insects.

How do you like those AJ hooks? I have a couple packs in size 15 and 17. I think I'd rather tie on the Daiichi 1640's. Same straight eye 2x short hook, just not as shiney and a lot cheaper.

REE

[Carpcrazy]

REE, I really liked those hooks they are very sharp, and wire is very fine and particularly liked the color I have used them already for trout and also caught some LMB and BG's they really did the job

Xavier

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I tie lots of patterns with bead heads. Sometimes it works better , on other days it doesn't . Your bead head spider looks very fishable to me.

[JeffHamm]

Hi CarpCrazy,

Some of the spider patterns call for a peacock herl head, so if you imagin your bead was peacock herl then the overall shape would resemble one of those patterns. As REE indicates, typically spiders are fished high in the water so the bead works against fishhing this one in the traditional manner. However, a beadhead spider could be fished like a weighted nymph and should work just fine. I have some flies I tied after looking at some Japanese flies, and the pattern I came up with is sort of a beaded spider (red yarn tuft for tail, peacock hurl body, ribbed with red floss, long fiber brown hen hackle collar, oversized copper bead head) and I have caught a fish in a fast deep pool with it as it was the only fly I had that would get down in the current.

For traditional proportions, the body usually stops at the point, or at most half-way between point and barb. Of course, as Donald has pointed out, there are some areas where the body was even shorter or almost non-existant (Tummel). Basically, you cannot make the body too short on a spider.

Anyway, I bet you'll catch fish with that.

- Jeff

[flyandtie]

what did you use for the body?? it looks like floss but im not sure

[Donald Nicolson]

It looks like it will catch fish, which is the only real criteria. Try some without the bead, and various lengths of body.
By the way what is the body, and the hackle, reddish brown hen or cockeral??

[flyandtie]

hmmm if i didnt know better that that hook is a aj............ i would have guessed that it was a bonefish hook by dai riki