Still running through Mike Valla’s book on Catskills.
I have a question, he doesn’t seem to address: Are there any rules of thumb on how wide a wing made from duck wing slips should be?
Thanks in advance,
Steven
I believe the rule of thumb is the width of the hook gap.
Uncle Jesse has stated what I have always understood to be the rule.
Years ago the person who taught me to tie showed me the trick to get the right size slips. Take a hook of the same model one size smaller that you are tying on, and a pair of English hackle pliers, and hold the hook eye in the pliers. Use the hook as a gauge to split the fibres.
When tying these I always use the method shown me by the late Donald Downs. Cut the slip by cutting through the quill. It helps to keep the fibres in line as you tie them down. It is useful to pair the feathers, I whip them together with some copper wire. He also showed me to take the forward facing butts of the slips around the base of the wings, and lifting the wing into the vertical by tying them down behind the wings. This makes the wings very secure.
Hope that helps,
Cheers,
A.
Hi Steven,
You already received really good answers on your question. I just wanted to add to make sure that you tie them with the longer side towards the front, not backwards like some of those old Catskill tiers used to do 
Regards,
Mark
LOL. I haven’t decided what I like yet. And if I try this, I’m definitely going with two wings rather than four. There has to be a limit.
Thanks everybody!
Mark…
Where, other than in your just posted response, is it written that some of the old Catskill tiers tied them in backwards? It has more to do with whether the fly is a dry or a wet (tips down), and even then, there is no hard and fast rule. They can be tied in either way, even on a wet fly.
All…
A.K. Best puts large quilt pins through popsickle stics, spaced for each hook size, to split the barbs from a one another at the proper width. He labels each for the hook size. Another tool for the same purpose can be made from a paper clip and the handle from an X-Acto knife, Cut the small portion of the paper clip out, leaving one leg longer than the other, and place this in the jaws of the handle with the “U” down. The ends can easily be either closed or opened up to the width necessary for the size of slip needed.
Regards,
Frank
Always understood the width of the wing = the gap of the hook. As far as which edge faces forward, I’ve seen them both ways but, I believe, there’s a functional reason to have the short fibers at the front so that the wing bends toward the rear. Of course you should tye it vertical. I may be wrong but I think that the wing ‘gives’ as the cast is made, the water comes off of it easier, and the wing doesn’t fray as easily. I like the look of it this way too.
Allan
As best as I can determine from Valla’s book, it looks like the wings are narrower than the gape. This includes the historical flies he includes in the photos.
I don’t recall where or who I got this from but, I use the hook gape for wetfly downwings and 2/3 gape for vertical wings on dries. Those proportions look the best to me. Jason
Steve,
As you may have gleaned from the responses you recieved, there is no hard and fast rule for the slips width. Hook gape is a good place to start, but most folks seem to like the look of a slimmer wing.
That’s the key, use what looks best to you. The fish won’t care.
As far as a ‘gauge’ for determining the width, I’ve always used a small pair of dividers. I don’t tie enough of these to bother building a permanent tool, and the dividers have lots of measuring uses around the bench.
I’ll stay out of the whole forwards/backwards debate. It don’t matter as much as which socks you wear while fishing…
Buddy
Arrrrgh! Don’t mention socks!
(Anyone who is also a member of the Sexyloops forum will know why not)
Cheers,
C.
The prognosis for the waders is a full recovery if allowed plenty of fresh air and sunshine.
Personally I wear wool socks year 'round. 113 F (45 C) outside and I still wore wool socks.
Ed
nice to hear from feenom. *how ya doing jason?
tie the quill slips in to look like wings. *see how simple that is?
Only speaking for wet fly wings, I prefer most of the time to use 2/3 rds the hook gap. Then other times depending on mood and creativity I use full gap, half gap and 1.5 the gap of the hook. When it comes to wet fly wings, there is no set standard. The width of the wing slips is best left up to the tyer and their likes at the time the fly is tied. Now you can look at paintings of wet flies in Bergman’s book Trout & listen to Don Bastian preach that Bergman wet flies were 2/3 rds the gap of the hook. Far as paintings go this is correct and has a story behind it as well. Far as the actual flies this is Horse Hockey. Bergman’s actual flies were all over the scales far as wing size, appearance and hackling. I use to be a follower and believer that a Bergman wet fly had to look this way or it is not so. After reasearch, investigation and then seeing numerous tyed Ray Bergman wet flies this myth was busted.
Sincerely
Andy Brasko