Throwback

All about flies Fly Tying
1

Inspired by the early brook trout flies

Throwback
Hook: Grip 14723BL #8
Thread: Benecchi 12/0, black
Rib: Oval, gold fine
Tail: Golden Pheasant breast feather barbs
Body: Wapsi Crawdub, brown olive
Wing: Barred Woodduck
Hackle: Saddle, grizzly dyed olive

Cheers,
Hans W

2

Hans,

That’s a really buggy fly and definitely one I need to tye. Question thoughA: What would you use as a substitute for the Body: Wapsi Crawdub, brown olive? Some long fibered material like a leech type yarn (mohair?), seal, angora, a mixture of somethings? Suggestions?

Allan

3

Allan, I would suggest either a seal mix, or a llama mix. Angora goat would be my third, more distant, sub suggestion.

One of the nice things about Wapsi Crawdub is that each ‘color’ is in fact a mix of hues, not one solid color as synthetic dubbings often are.

Cheers,
Hans W

4

Thanks Hans. Okay, I’ve got some of what you mentioned and I’ll see how a ‘blend’ will work.

cheers.

5

Hans, how do you pick the style of hook you use in your patterns? Is it based on tradition? How they move in the water due to the configuration of the hook eye? Looks? Or something else entirely?

Joe

6

Hans, where do you buy Grips hooks?

7

Definitely a keeper, not a throwback; very nice fly.

Regards,
Scott

8

Joe,

I consider the hook my canvas, onto which the fly gets ‘painted’. Hook selection is very important to me - it defines the end product (look&feel as well as behavior) more than any other component.

Tradition - well, I respect tradition. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. That said, I do not feel bound by tradition when I believe there may be a better way :cool:

Cheers,
Hans W

9

Hans,

You raise a good point about ‘tradition’. Now I’m asking this because, in the main, this thread has been informative and I guess nearly complete so I don’t think I’m hijacking it. Perhaps you might want to start a thread to respond to this since it may bring about a few additional opinions and thoughts.
What is ‘tradition’? I mean Joe asked about hook selection in regard to tradition and you responded. Where does it begin? When hooks were made out of stone or bones, when steel was first sed and then when they had no eyes, when they got eyes?
IMHO, the flies described by Berners and illustrated in a few books established the ‘traditional’ hook and thereafter hooks were ‘seveloped’ much the same way that you have traditional flies and the same fly tyed with some substitute material or in a slightly altered state. Not saying this dogmatically and I can easily be talked into a change of opinion, LOL.
Any thoughts?
Cheers.
Allan

10

Allan,

I am not exactly certain what you are after?

You mention the Berners flies. The ‘problem’ is that the flies were described in vague terms, materials listed but not how applied or fashioned. There are no illustrations. Renditions of the Berners flies has been the interpretation of flytiers in centuries since - and may or may not resemble the flies as first devised.

I am a pragmatic feller, and my tying, my patterns, reflect this. I will adopt from others if it makes sense to me, or forge my own path (successes and failures alike) when I think there may be a possibility to go beyond. There is something satisfying in pushing the odd envelope, is there not? :cool:

Cheers,
Hans W

11

Hans,

I was just wondering about the term, ‘tradition’ in relation to hooks. Partly due to the question from Joe, "Hans, how do you pick the style of hook you use in your patterns? Is it based on tradition? "