Streamers

Pink Lady, fishing version
Tied by Duane Vigue*

    Hook: Mustad 94720 #2

    Thread/Head: Black.

    Tag: Flat silver tinsel.

    Body: Pink floss ribbed with flat silver tinsel.

    Throat: White bucktail over which are pink hackle barbs.

    Wings: Grizzly hackle tips.

    Shoulder: Mallard.

    Sides: JC.

    Note: This is one of Duane's "fishing grade" flies.

Whether tying flies for fishing or display, the fly's basic construction is the same, however there are a few things I do differently. This is what and why:

A fishing fly is a piece of equipment where as a display fly is just that, something to be displayed and look at, like a piece of art. When tying a fly for fishing I do not worry about laying the floss or tinsel perfect, but worry about just getting it on the hook shank in a decent, evenly manner. On a display fly I will lay the floss or tinsel as flat as possible and build up the center in a conical fashion, similar to that of a cigar. This gives the body just a little bit more "body" or shape, making it a little more pretty in my opinion. I also coat all of my fishing fly bodies with a liquid plastic resin to ensure longevity. There's no sense in taking the time to construct a fly that will come apart after a few fish, which in my opinion wastes the rest of the materials used. Fly tying material isn't cheap so there is no need to basically throw it out after a few fish.

With the bucktail bellies in my fishing flies I cut the bucktail as straight as possible off the skin and tie it on directly, but on display flies I stack the hair so all of the tips are the exact same length, like a nice haircut.

Any peacock swords I use for fishing flies are just tied on as straight as possible whereas my display flies have peacock tied in by matched pairs to the exact same length. I feel this gives the fly a cleaner look like stacked bucktail.

I do absolutely nothing different to the wings with the exception of on fishing flies I glue all the shoulders to the wings and cheeks to the shoulders. This also helps them last longer as well since non-glued flies will tend to lose the cheeks almost always first, then followed by the shoulder. With display flies this is not needed for obvious reasons.

As far as the head goes, on display flies I just try and make it a little neater, more uniformed and better proportioned to the rest of the fly. I cement, lacquer and/or gloss coat the heads exactly the same.

Overall, I just try to tie display flies to the absolute best of my ability to showcase my tying skill and the material. I also utilize only the finest of material on my display flies. Grade A materials, hackles with perfect stems, shoulders that are the exact same size and so on. Remember, you are trying to display the material, your tying and the pattern all at the same time. ~ Duane P Vigue

*About Duane Vigue

Duane Vigue is another fine commercial Tyer from the Eastern half of the US, Maine to be exact. Duane is a hard core Tyer and fisher of the so called "Rangeley" style of streamers that were popularized by the likes of Carrie Stevens and Herb Welch. His flies are the result of countless hours on the water, testing and refining his tying skills and patterns. He not only ties the patterns of Stevens and Welch, he also innovates his own. Like Marc, Duane's "fishing" grade flies are wonderfully crafted and his display patterns are a must have for any serious collector. Duane's flies can be seen here and in such publications as the Art of Angling. We will be hearing much more from Duane in the years to come.

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