The thread on wet fly wings got me inspired, and I really like Charlie’s take on a classic (actually, I pretty much like everything he ties). Going to tie one with hen hackle fiber wings for comparison, but I have to replace the garbage disposal and rip some plywood on the tablesaw first.
hook - Mustad 3399A #12
thread - Danville 6/0 black
tag - tinsel gold
tail - golden pheasant tippets (Charlie used red-dyed, which look cool, but I stuck with the standard)
rib - x-small wire gold
abdomen - peacock herl
hackle - hen brown
wing - mallard quill segments
Part 1
Mash down barb, start thread about 1 eye width back from front
prep hackle (tips extend to hook point, or a little bit more) and tie in by tip; wrap back to hook point
tie in tinsel; wrap to barb and back (kinda screwed the pooch on the return wraps; should be tighter); tie off/trim
measure (shank) a few GP tippets and tie in
tie in peacock and rib; return thread to initial tie-in
wrap peacock, tie off and trim (lost the pic); spiral rib, helicopter end and tie off
Scott, the lead wing coachman is my favorite searching winged wet. Trout seem to like chomping on it, so onto my leader it goes. Thanks for the fine (as usual) SBS.
I would just like to add that the late Dick Talleur wrote that the best wing feather quills for this pattern are from an american black duck. The secondaries are better than the primaries. The feather color is darker and they hold up well while being fished.
Both work nicely. I have tied the Leadwing with Dun Turkey-flat wings for the last decade or so. Very similar to the feather-wing version once chewed on.
Please excuse my ignorance, but is that a lead wing, as in the first dog pulling the sled or as the heavy metal.
Melk, before trying the home repair, let me warn you. Scott is setting a bad example, when you are told to hit the nail with the hammer, they are talking about a pointed piece of steel with a wider head from the hardware store, not the nail on the end of your finger.
I think it’s lead like the metal, referring to the color of the duck quill.
As far as my hammering (lack of) skills, that was the cause of last year’s black thumb syndrome. This year’s version came about when I slammed a trunk lid on it. I am clumsy in multiple disciplines.
Ouch!!! I slammed my thumb in a trunk a few years back and it is far worse than a hammer hit. Mine was stuck there until I could get my wife to come out of the cabin and unlock the trunk.
I really appreciate all the SBS’s that you have done. Just having such a variety of different patterns with great illustrations has inspired me to tie more lately.
It’s the latter. The original Coachman (no “Lead Wing”, “Royal” or any other adjective) has a peacock herl body, brown hackle, and a white wing. Wrap some red floss around the middle of the herl and add a GP tippet tail, and you get a Royal Coachman. Make the floss yellow instead of red, you get a California Coachman. Subsituting a grey wing for the white on the original gives you a Lead Wing Coachman.
The “variation” in Scott’s excellent SBS is mounting the wings on the side instead of the top, and adding the tail. (Not usual in either the original or lead wing versions.)
