I sat down and tied a couple of these flies based on the FOTW instructions, and they just appear to be on the “skimpy” side. Is this the effect that’s intended for this fly? I tie a lot of Stimulators (my go to flies), Zoo Cougars and Muddlers which use more hair than the Madam X, so maybe my frame of reference is clouded by these other flies? Any thoughts?
Joe
Tie em up like Doug Swisher!
The ones I’ve seen before that were commercially tied seemed fuller to me than the one tied by Skip Morris in FOTW.
The first instructions I saw for the Madam ‘X’ included the ‘underwing’ which makes for a much ‘fuller’ tie.
Then I saw Skip Morris’ method in one of his books, and tried it that way.
They are certainly ‘sparser’, but they work amazingly well for me tied that way. I like that they are pretty simple and fast to tie. I do ‘wateproof’ all of these, and even with the ‘sparser’ wing, they float like corks.
No judgement on which is ‘best’ or ‘better’, I just like eliminating that one tying step.
Good Luck!
Buddy
Thanks for all the input. I’ll probably tie up a dozen using the FAOL tie and a dozen using the Swisher method, then let the fishies tell me if it matters. :lol: I’m accustomed to tying deer hair flies much fuller, but if there’s an alternate method using less material with the same results, I’m certainly willing to give it a go. The fishies never lie. :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Joe
Hi Joe,
The [url=http://www.hatchesmagazine.com/page/june2006/201:6eecd]Turck Tarantula[/url:6eecd] is another option if you want a similar pattern with a thicker profile.
You can alway bulk up the body by using a couple of plastic tooth picks on each side of the hook, to give the body a wider tapered body. I do this when I am doing weave bodies, it help control the weave placement position.
Thanks, Bugsy and Steve. The Tarantula is more in line with how I like to work with deer hair, and I’ll remember the plastic tooth pics for bulking up bodies.
Joe