I’m trying to figure out how to get pictures of flies with this new digital camera. I came across this beautiful pattern in an old copy of “Streamer Fly-Tying and Fishing” by Joseph D. Bates, Jr., published in 1950.
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It’s called the Iris #1 Bucktail. I tied it just as it looked, but the colors did not come out on the picture like in real-life. The picture does not do this fly justice. It is one of the most striking-looking flies I’ve ever seen.
It was designed by Preston Jennings, who was a student of the then new (1920s-?)theory of refraction and reflection of light through a prism. He endeavored to dress his flies as the fish saw them. His concept of the breaking down of light as it passes through water is exhibited by the use of spectrum colors in his minnow imitations.
Iris #1 Bucktail
Thread: 6/0 Black Body: Flat silver tinsel Ribbing: Oval silver tinsel Wings: All bucktail-sparse red on the bottom, a bit more yellow above the red to predominate, sparse green next and topped with sparse blue. Cheeks: Jungle-cock (imitaion, in my case)
I haven’t fished with it, yet, but I’m sure it will catch something. It’s just almost too pretty to use!
I’ll keep working with the camera. I think it’s the exterior lighting (light bulb) that is throwing the color off.
It looks like you need to set the white balance.
Have a look in the instructions for ‘white balance’ and the macro instructions. Usually the white balance is set against a white background. The colours should be true then. You shall have to use more lighting and set the camera for incandesent bulbs or whatever you are using.
Looks like a nice fly, have a look on Global FlyFisher site, they have some very good streamer articles and I’m sure one is on Preston Jennings flies. http://globalflyfisher.com/streamers/guest/jennings/
Did you try Jungle Cock?
or Junglecock?
Very strange, a Victorian program perhaps.
It’s going to be awkward with a lot of dry fly recipes. :lol:
Ok, I think maybe I’ve got this camera figured out (sort of). This is much closer to its true appearance. [/img]
That’s more like it.
As an addendum, I tied a few up and went out this morning to Mill Creek (right behind the house). It was cold, rainy, and miserable weather. Usually in type of weather, the fish here are somewhat uncoopertive. I waded for about 45 mins and caught 2 Smallmouth Bass and one Brown Trout on the Iris #1. I had 5 or 6 fish (Brown Trout, I think) follow it closely without striking. They might have bit under differnt conditions.
All-in-all, not a bad pattern. I think Mr. Jennings might have been on to something.
That’s a good picture of a very nice fly Gig.
I keep meaning to tie some more streamers but I’ve been a bit obsessed with Spiders. I think I’ll try a few of Preston Jennings flies. :lol:
I have to say; I just love a simple elegant looking fly that catches fish. Some patterns with 3 different adhesives, 10 or more materials and 30 steps put a chill on my efforts… I’ll try a few in my neck of the woods too…
A piece of styrofoam-backed med. blue poster board from Wal-Mart. It ran about $2.00. I just cut it down to size and used finishing nails to attach it to the back of my portable fly-tying desk/station.
I took a lot a pictures before I got the settings right. I’m still not sure what they are. The hard part is holding the camera steady so that it doesn’t blur. This camera won’t fit on my tripod. It worked best if I didn’t use the macro setting, and used the zoom instead. Then the camera flash didn’t distort the colors so bad. I used the auto white adjustement to correct colors. I used the extra sharp setting and 7 mega pixels for the quality settings.
I’m no pro, but still a suggestion.
See the shadow of the fly on the background of the second pic? Try moving the background farther away and adding some light to it.
Have you read this?
I thought I would pass this onto you. I have been playing with my new digital camera but the lighting in my basement sucks. I am going to make one of these and focus the light a little better.
The blue yellow and red is a great color combination for catching fish. I have been loving that combo a lot lately. While in the water those three colors mix and give off different shades of different colors from different angles like a real baitfish would. Just in that pic alone you can see orange from a few of the the hairs that mixed. Last night inbetween picking slush out of my guides I managed two chunky stripers that hit that color bucktail fly instead of the other two of my three fly set up. The fly works better sparse than chunky.
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I’ll try a few in my neck of the woods too…