Hi Ed,
I've seen the Invicta tied sans palmered hackle, usually on doubles tied for sea trout, though it isn't common. Another fly often given this treatment is the Dunkeld. I think for my trout fishing it is an essential component. I try to make my flies "noisy" in a hydrodynamic sense, so will use as good a quality hackle as I can. In other flies I take this even further, using a slightly undersized dry fly quality hackle for the palmered hackle and a covert feather at the head.
There is a wingless fly I have found to be very good which was based on the Invicta. Sorry I don't have a picture just now. its been christened the Interloper.
Hook: Size 8 to 12 wet fly.
Tag: Gold oval.
Tail: GP Topping.
Rib: Gold oval.
Body: In two halves, Rear. flat gold Front. Amber seal's fur (or sub) palmered with red game cock hackle.
Hackles: Blue cock (2 turns) and a dyed brown covert feather from a hen pheasant (also 2 turns).
Strangely I find the Silver Invicta a more productive fly, but Mike, who I fish with, prefers the original. If you want to tie the Invicta to the original pattern I believe Steve Cooper, Cookshill Fly Tying, has the low down on the legal restrictions on seal's fur and is now exporting it to the States.
There is a tale to relate about a couple of friends who visited Yellowstone some years ago. In West the news was that Hebjen Lake wasn't fishing well. "Go to the inlets and look for gulpers", was the advice. They had a boat for half a day, so in the morning they fished "loch style", and took over 50 fish to the boat. Back in West they were accosted by a couple of shop owners who wanted them to take them out and show them how they did it.
Its a simple technique, boat side on to the wind and let it drift, (slow it with a drogue if drifting too quickly). Cast downwind short to medium casts with a team of 3 flies. Work the flies back to the boat. As the flies approach the boat lift the rod so the top fly works in the surface. You will get rises to the top fly so close to the boat you will get splashed. If the rod is high when the fish takes set the hook by making a roll cast. A traditional clinker built row boat is the best kind for this technique, and you want a long rod of 10 or 11 feet.
Quite often you will only catch fish on the point and middle flies. If you change the top fly that hasn't caught you will stop catching. The fish are being attracted to the top fly but taking one of the others. That's how a team works. Greater than the sum of its parts.
Cheers,
A.
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