Help with "haystack" style wing

[terry13111]

Can anyone offer any tips on getting a nice full 180 degree wing with a haystack or comparadun pattern? I am having trouble doing so. Mine have more of a V shape than a nice fan. Thanks

[Jeremy]

Terry,

With the fly still in the vise, turn it 90 deg so you're looking at it head on and simply pull the wing into shape w/both hands using thumb and index fingers. They need shaping to flare...


Jeremy.

[Normand]

http://www.randrflyfishing.com/2008/...n-trout-flies/

why cant you just pull the hair fibers down as shown in the last foto??

[J]

Normand, Try running the thread through the hair 2 or 3 wraps from back to front. Then build your thread lump in front to post the wing upright. That is how I do it anyway. If it matters at all Fran Betters Haystack wings do not fan a full 180 degrees. They are more like a full V as you have described. I have 3 or 4 of his Haystacks and the wings are all like this and quite full.

By the way,I have not forgotten about your BB's. I am getting there.

Later, Jim

[kengore]

It can be really tough to get that perfect 180 degree fan. Some things that helped me...

1. Make sure you have really good hair for the task. Some manufactures even sell a package of 'comparadun' deer hair. Look for fine texture hair with a lot of flare. Good hair makes a huge difference.

2. Don't use a thread base. Most fly recipes start with wrapping a layer of thread over the hook shank. For the comparadun I like to keep the area just under the hair collar bare.

3. Don't be afraid the tweak the hair into position after it's tied in. I like to push my thumb nail into the hair clump and rock back and forth to help spread it around the hook shank. Then I push, pull and preen the fan wing into a shape I like. When everything is well distributed I place a small drop of head cement at the base to set it in place.

4. Try using antron or some other synthetic yarn instead of deer hair. Deer hair works well but can start to fall apart if you play with it too much. I use antron (or similar synthetic) for comparaduns smaller than size 18. I can leave the yarn fibers long when I tie in and trim them to shape later. The long handle really lets me pull and tweak to get the fibers to distribute evenly.

5. Practice, practice, practice. Sometime the simple looking patterns are the hardest to tie!

[bones]

I'm not so sure that the vee shape is bad thing. I have been tying more toward the vee look using dubb to form the vee shape. Won't spin your tippit plus in reality it looks more like a wing of a dun than the perpendicular wing. Harrops have been doing it for years...see below

[LadyFisher]

Super terrific Bones - having the photo really helps.

[terry13111]

Thanks guys. I will give these methods a try.

[Fishin' Jimmy]

He is the One!! That Made the Fly Famous. Look on his web site for the May Fly of the Month.

Fishin' Jimmy