called “name that tying material!” i was given a box of a few random fly tying materials and figured id ask here what they are instead of possibly making mistakes trying myself. and i also figured everyone here would have fun doing this.
any help and info is greatly appreciated. with those materials there also was a bobbin, an old vise that i will try to make do with, and a few other things. cant complain for free : ) also, the hooks are very large, im guessing they are for saltwater streamers if for flies at all but i posted a picture to see what everyone else though. thank you!
1-Ringneck pheasant skin
2-Mustad 34011 SS hooks (size 2?) next time put a coin in the pic for size comparison.
3-Grizzly wet fly hackle
4-Strung maraboo, turkey quill, strung saddle hacklele
5-Black bear, possum (gray) buck tail pieces(red)
6-Flashabou(Ivory), a mess(white)
7-more ss hooks, pearl mylar tubing
Oh, and posting pics as thumbnails is much appreciated by most viewers.
thank you bassbug! im sorry about not posting them as thumbnails, im not sure how to do that. the hooks are all different sizes but most are an inch and a half long from eye to bottom of shank. i was gonna post another picture next to a ruler but my camera is not cooperating now. anything useful in that stuff though?
Naw nothing usefull there might as well send it all to me and I will get rid of it for ya. The phesant skin is good for a lot of things specially soft hackles, the black maraboo is good for bodies and tails, The hooks steelhead and salmon flies, the turkey feather shelll backs and parachute wings, The black shaplin feathers good for big flies as hackle or tails, The hair is good for wings and tails, the synthetic hair ivory and whit is good for wings, mylar tubing is good for bodies, and last but not least the gizzly hackle is good for hackle and tails on larger flies. Hope this helps
thank you so much for the replies. i didnt mean to be as blunt when i asked if it is useful, ive come to learn from this site that i could have posted a picture of a plunger and someone would find a use in tying for it. like i said before i am just starting and learning. i hope i can use these materials alone to tie a few starter flies. im from new jersey and dont think ill be doing any steelhead fishing around here, so once i get some things together im wondering if there is anyone in need of some of those hooks that will be willing to trade for some other hooks or materials i may need, ive noticed there are many very generous people on this site and im very greatful to be learning from this “family”. thanks again guys!
Those stainless hooks make are just the ticket for saltwater applications if you do that, bass and pike would be appropriate too. Like, it’s hard to tell size with no reference like the previous poster mentioned but thank who ever gave it all to you because in this hobby every little piece of fuzz cost $3 to $5 and some feathers will set you back an SUV gas tank full.
I also laughed outloud when I read the plunger line. It’s truer than most would think.
At the TU meeting on Monday night, a guy is passing around a stonefly pattern, I ask what the legs were and he bends over and whispers: “Doll eyelashes” like we were exchanging secret missle launch codes. You’re going to have a grand time tying, enjoy.
thanks for the help! i forgot to mention i also was given a book, The Freshwater Angler The Art of Fly Tying by John van Vliet. ISBN: 0-86573-043-1. not sure if anyone has seen it but im sure they have. it goes through a lot of information on tying all different patters, tools and materials, and different techniques and is filled with great detailed color photos.
Hi, yep, all that’s useful (loved the plunger reference!). The pheasant skin is especially useful with lots of different feathers for different flies. I’m fond of the church window feathers (those are the patterened ones with the rich brown edges) for sculpin patterns, as tied by Al Campbell (see here).
Coughlin
I agree, the pheasant skin has a lot of very useful feathers although it can be strangely difficult to find patterns that specifically call for them!
The greenish patterned feathers are used in a NZ pattern called the Mrs. Simpson. There’s a version of it in the “just old flies” archives, found here, http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part236.php
but this one is tied with the brown Church Window feathers. I’ve heard people say this is the “original dressing”, but I’ve heard others just as loudly proclaim that the Mrs. Simpson was always tied with the green feathers. Here’s how I’ve always seen it tied :
Here are a couple of my own patterns using pheasant feathers tied in on the top, laying flat along the top. In NZ we would say tied in Pukeku style as there is a series of flies tied this way with the feathers that come from that bird.
This one uses two of the heart shaped neck feathers (tied one on top of the other), and I’ll use this where there are lots of damsel fly and dragon fly nymphs:
This is just a good buggy pattern around areas where there are largish water beetles. The flat wing is the Mrs. Simpson feathers
Basically, the feathers on the pheasant skin are very useful, but you’ll most likely get the most use out of them if you start to create a use rather than look for a use.
Jeff,
Very nice flies.
I’m as puzzled as you why pheasant cape feathers aren’t often called for given their useful variety of pattern, not to mention a whoile cape is rather inexpensive… As you note, I look for places to use them.
coughlin
The two lower patterns are my own, which I call “mock pukekos” (not pukeku) because of the New Zealand Pukeko style of fly (i.e. Craig’s Nighttime, one of the most popular patterns of this style is listed in either the FOTW archirves or just old flys and stuff archives). Although pukeko feathers are not available outside of NZ (even in NZ there’s only one shop with a licence to sell the feathers otherwise you have to gather your own during migratory bird season), feathers from a magpie can be used as substitutes for the black ones (there are blue on a pukeko, but I’ve found no sub for those).
Anyway, the dressing for the “green mock pukeko” is as follows:
hook: size 10 wet fly hook
tail: mallard flank dyed green
body: insect green seals fur
rib : orange copper wire
wing: two bronze heart feathers from ringneck cock pheasant, tied in flat on top
hackle: cree (grizzle, or red variant would be fine)
the other is a “fox squirrel mock pukeko”:
hook: size 10 wet fly hook
tail: belly hair of a fox squirrel
body: dubbed fox squirrel guard hairs
rib : wine Ultra Wire; or just heat copper wire in a flame until it changes colours (be careful)
wing : Greenish rump feathers from ringneck cock pheasant, tied in flat on top
hackle: grizzle
I tend to think of these as lake flies, fished slow and near the bottom, but I’m sure they are worth a try in moving water as well.
The red and yellow feathers on a golden pheasant work very well used as a wing this way as well. I took a nice brookie using a black bodied fly with a red feather from a golden pheasant tied this way here in Nova Scotia. Lots of room for experimentation with this general construction. The trickiest part is getting the wing to lay flat. A few soft loops, then pull the feather forward and the stems up. This pulls the feather into the loops (which pushes the sides of the feathers in) while pulling the stems up helps lever the body of the feather down to lay flat. It takes some practice, but not too much.
thanks Jeff!
theyre added to my recipe book, once i tie them ill be show to show you pictures, but as you can see im a “very-beginner.” but ive been fishing with spinning and baitcasting gear my whole life, and theres always tons of dragon flies and beetles where i fish so i think theyll work great.
