You don't need pink Polar Bear Hair ...

[Greg H]

Greetings all,
I wish to offer some thoughts on flytying and hope they will be taken in the spirit of discussion. On the two boards where I usually post there have been recent discussions on material substitution, hook selection and pattern requests/options that have triggered my following thoughts. My ?headline? at this time of intense fly tying is a suggestion to think of the big picture ? outside the PATTERN. Patterns are a guide, but they are not the bible of tying.
Over the years and continents, several tiers have tried so solve the fish-catching/bug equation by developing patterns to do so. Novices (and I was once one) cling to each distinct pattern as the next silver bullet for success. Who in the beginning has not sought "pink polar bear hair from South Africa, harvested on the full-moon" as the next perfect material if only tied on a #o0&%$$y9nv hook.
However as I have been at this for 20 years and have put in a lot of thought and (involuntary) effort (www.winterhatches.org, - I am the president there), I have come to 3 conclusions on fly-tying:
1) the object is to get some stuff on a hook that looks like a bug or other prey and attracts fish.
2) there are only 4 things you can do with material, hook and thread: You can tie the material on and let it hang (tails and streamer wings); You can warp it around (everything from chenille to hackle to dubbing loops to parachutes); You can tie it in, fold it over and tie it in again (wing-cases and shellbacks); or you can tie it in and the use the thread to make it stand out in some way (upright wings, spinners, legs).
3) you can choose whatever materials or technique you want to achieve 1 & 2. And the operative word is CHOOSE. Some work techniques or materials work better than others but the standard is always moving.
I guess what I am trying to say, especially to beginners is, "Begin with the end in mind." (Now I know beginners usually need more of a ?how-to?, but they can get over that with experience.)
I.E.: "I fish on sandy-bottomed creeks and need a light coloured nymph." ? Well the tiers in Oregon, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, England and Europe all have a suggestion, but they amount to the same thing. Start with a tail that has some movement and looks like the right colour, put in an appropriate coloured abdomen, with some ribbing of xxx if you want. Add a thorax and add legs and a wingcase if you want ? use whatever you like for the wingcase, there are several suggestions available. (Wing cases are usually darker than the nymph is.) Don?t get stuck thinking a certain pattern promoted as solving the problem in any of those aforementioned regions with the materials at hand at the time is the only or the perfect answer. The objective in this example is to get a light coloured nymph with some ?bugginess?.
In this example the result might be an old fly re-invented or a ?new? fly because you used old brown teabag for the wingcase, or used AYZ for ABC or whatever!! But from 2ft away under water it will closely resemble all the other light nymphs from around the world.
The real trick is to choose the appropriately coloured and shaped fly for the situation, and fish it right in front of the fish with a LITTLE twinkle, twitch, tingle, tremble, to suggest life.
Fish it, publish it, or give it away. But don?t get STUCK thinking there is a perfect formula, or rules, or a certain path to more fish ? and trust yourself as much as anyone else.

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Indeed. Stewart, of the 1800s, suggested that 3 flies were all you needed. His black spider (well waxed brown thread and starling hackle), his red spider (yellow body, red hackle), and a dun spider (dun body and hackle). With those three you pretty much had river fishing for trout covered (in his view).

Hamilton (early 1900s in New Zealand), recommended a fist full of flies as well, one of which was Stewart's Black Spider, and another was similar to Stewarts red spider. Another was a March Brown type pattern, and I don't recall the others of the top of my head.

Regardless, there have long been those who have suggested that the important thing is proper presentation of a few patterns that wins the day. It is technique that rules the day.

With that in mind, I really enjoy having boxes full of different patterns. I just like having the variety, and the comfort of knowing that which one I pick probably doesn't make a lot of difference if it is fished correctly!

- Jeff

[fishbum]

20 Years, a mere youngster in my book. I am approaching 50 years and I know that my friend William Fitzgerald has been at it more like 70 +. We are still searching for some urine stained vixen hair to mix with the scrotum hair of a 4-year-old bull yeti to tie a few scuds with.

In all seriousness, use what material you have at hand. There was a time when all my flies were tied with deer hair, grouse and squirrel no matter what the pattern called for. I caught a lot of fish on those awful looking flies.

Good fishing and tying,

fishbum

[Mike-Connor]

Hi,

Indeed. Stewart, of the 1800s, suggested that 3 flies were all you needed. His black spider (well waxed brown thread and starling hackle), his red spider (yellow body, red hackle), and a dun spider (dun body and hackle). With those three you pretty much had river fishing for trout covered (in his view).

Hamilton (early 1900s in New Zealand), recommended a fist full of flies as well, one of which was Stewart's Black Spider, and another was similar to Stewarts red spider. Another was a March Brown type pattern, and I don't recall the others of the top of my head.

Regardless, there have long been those who have suggested that the important thing is proper presentation of a few patterns that wins the day. It is technique that rules the day.

With that in mind, I really enjoy having boxes full of different patterns. I just like having the variety, and the comfort of knowing that which one I pick probably doesn't make a lot of difference if it is fished correctly!

- Jeff

Hmm.....that is not quite correct. Stewart used a range of patterns, including some winged wet flies, and a fair range of lake flies. he used spiders for a specific purpose, namely for fishing in low clear water at certain times of year. This is largely ignored nowadays. Best to read his book;

http://flytyingforum.com/mike/Flies/...al_angler.html



However, if you think pink polar bear is necessary, then go for it.

Collecting materials, and drooling over new acquisitions is part of the fascination. Is it necessary? No, you could use worms.

With regard to pink polar bears;

http://flytyingforum.com/mike/Articl...lar_bears.html

TL
MC

[Mike-Connor]

20 Years, a mere youngster in my book. I am approaching 50 years and I know that my friend William Fitzgerald has been at it more like 70 +. We are still searching for some urine stained vixen hair to mix with the scrotum hair of a 4-year-old bull yeti to tie a few scuds with.

In all seriousness, use what material you have at hand. There was a time when all my flies were tied with deer hair, grouse and squirrel no matter what the pattern called for. I caught a lot of fish on those awful looking flies.

Good fishing and tying,

fishbum

Heh heh,,,, approaching the fifty mark myself( fly-dressing years, although I am still only eighteen in the head! ) , but have been using the urine stained vixen hair for most of that time, along with a few other things, Don?t have any yeti hair yet though....................

http://flytyingforum.com/mike/Materi...n/Fox/fox.html

Does it make a difference?

On some things, possibly. Certainly makes a difference to the vixen!

TL
MC

[JeffHamm]

Hi Mike,

That's true, and just after posting I thought I should edit it to point out that Stewart did use winged flies as well, but left it as it was. I have a copy of his book (not a first issue of course) but thanks for the link.

And indeed, Stewart in Chapter 5 suggests the following 3 spiders are all you need "spider-wise":
"1st. The Black Spider. This is made of the small feather of the cock starling, dressed with brown silk, and is, upon the whole, the most killing imitation we know. We were first shewn it by James Baillie, and have never been without one on our line ever since.

2nd. The Red spider should be made of the small feather taken from the outside of the wing of the landrail, dressed with yellow silk, and is deserving of a very high rank, particularly in coloured water.

3rd. The Dun Spider. This should be made of the small soft dun or ash-coloured feather, taken from the outside of the wing of the dotterel. This bird is unfortunately very scarce; but a small feather may be taken from the inside of the wing of the starling, which will make an excellent substitute."

But he goes on to comment that the problem with spiders is that the feathers are so fragile that after a dozen or two trout they need replacing. And, if the fishing is good you might have to do this 2 or 3 times in a day! So, in conditions when the fish are taking well, and if winged flies are working as well as the spiders, he recommends the following because they are sturdier a should last for a whole day or two of fishing:

"1st A woodcock wing, with a single turn of a red hackle, or landrail feather, dressed with yellow silk, freely exposed on the body. For fishing in dark coloured waters, this fly may be dressed with scarlet thread.

2nd. A hare-lug body, with a corn-bunting or chaffinch wing. A woodcock wing may also be put in the same body, but should be made of the small light-coloured feather taken from the inside of the wing.

3d. The same wing as the last fly, with a single turn of a soft black hen hackle, or small feather taken from the shoulders of the starling, dressed with dark coloured silk.
"

Also, in this Chapter Stewart is concentrating on river fishing. Loch's are a different matter (though I think he just suggests bigger versions of the winged flies?)

- Jeff

[Eight Thumbs]

I've been at the fly tying game 50+ years myself, having started at the age of 11 or 12. My allowance was spent every Saturday at Nassif Arms Sporting Goods on chenille, saddle hackle, hooks and other fly tying accessories. I think a lot of my materials addiction came from those early days when my allowance was never enough to purchase all the stuff I "really needed." Over the years, I've collected a HUGE amount of fly tying material. I actually have pink polar bear hair in 12 shades-----just kidding but I bet I have some. I went through that early stage where flies had to be tied with the EXACT materials specified in the pattern. In fact, I stayed in that stage for a long time---may be forty years. I do agree with Mike that collecting and drooling over materials is a great part of the fun.

But I've changed over the last few years. Much to the chagrin of our local fly shop, I've stopped buying materials except to restock items that have been used up. Even then, I look to see if I have other material that might be used in it's place but some items like lead eyes are hard to do with out. Most new materials, I pretty much leave alone, They come out so fast (and often disappear faster) that you just can't keep up with them. I really try to make due with what I have which really isn't much of a sacrifice since I have enough material to restock a Cabela's store. I did have a good example of this make-do approach early this winter when I wanted to tie some Czech nymphs. The pattern calls for "Magic Shrimp Foil." The old me would have ordered 12 colors in each of 3 sizes before tying ever started. The new me found an old sheet of latex and some marker pens. The fish didn't care that the nymphs were not authentic and neither did I. 8T

[jeffnles1]

I've been tying for a grand total of 6 weeks. I'm still getting some basics together but I've really enjoyed looking at pictures of flies and then trying to come reasonably close with stuff I already have.

Now, if one of you guys knows where I can find some pink polar bear hear... My cat hasn't grown enough hair back and I'm fresh out of pink.

Jeff

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I was fretting over which saddle to buy from Denny Conrad of FAOL sponsors Conranch Hackles . He had laid out a good range of colors on a table at one of the fish ins for members to see. Denny asked me which color I wanted. I said I have only enough cash left to buy one and can't decide on the grizzley or the black. I really needed both. Denny suprised me by saying get the Griz then you can get black with the use of a permanent magic marker. Like this ( a demonstration followed ) and there you have it you will have both grizzley and black. In other words adapt or die. If you don't have the exactly correct thing adapt something that will work. That I believe is part of the art part of fly tying anyway.

Part of the art part of fly tying .....hah doesn't completely make sense to me either.

[Mike-Connor]

I've been tying for a grand total of 6 weeks. I'm still getting some basics together but I've really enjoyed looking at pictures of flies and then trying to come reasonably close with stuff I already have.

Now, if one of you guys knows where I can find some pink polar bear hear... My cat hasn't grown enough hair back and I'm fresh out of pink.

Jeff

If you have a pink cat, all you have to do is wait!

Apropos cats;

http://flytyingforum.com/mike/Articl...ly_a_cat_.html

You can buy pink polar bear hair ( and every other colour and shade under the sun!), at various places. Just do a google search on polar bear hair. You will need cites certificates for such material purchased abroad.

It may be illegal to possess some materials in various countries. make sure you are aware of "local" laws etc before you acquire such materials.

TL
MC