The time of year, they drop the flows on the Rogue, and the water is not too cold yet, so I like to switch to spey flies on a floating line instead of nymphs for steelhead.
This is one of my favorite speys’s to tie, a simple but effect fly, I call the orange spey. The longer mallard flank seems to make the fly have good movement. I tend to always make the mallard long on my speys.
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Nice! 
rriver,
Very nice spey pattern. Let’s see, Silver flat tinsel tag, Oval silver tinsel for the rib, rear 1/3 red floss, front 2/3 orange floss. Do you start the hackle where the orange starts? Nice wing on the fly also. Simple, but probably very effective.
I’m working on October Caddis flies. Dries, wets and nymphs for the trip to Idaho. Plus a few other little items that I think will do well there.
I’d like to see some more of your spey fly ideas. nicely done.
Ron Eagle Elk
Ron,
I know it is hard to tell from the photo but its a gold mylar tag, and then gold oval tinsel, floss, and then dubbed orange. I tie in the hackle after the floss, before I dub, then dub, wrap the hackle, then wind the tinsel, add the mallard collar and then the wing is bronze mallard.
My speys are fishing flies; experts would find many flaws.
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Thanks for the kind words.
Here is another one I tied kind of as a joke. I had ordered a TFO spey, and was sitting at the bench trying to think of a fly to tie to use with the rod. So the TFO Spey was born: (Turkey Feathers and Orange).
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I have to know, does the TFO Spey work? 
It looks great!
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
Yes - I caught a bunch of half pounders on it, the turkey wing was chewed off, and it then it worked better. I was fishing it in front of an RV park, with those $100,000 RV’s parked there with an audience of older folks, sitting in lawn chairs. I was really hoping to get a big fish on to make their day (and I admit, show off). Finally, I had a good fish on, but it tail walked and threw the hook.
Walking back up river, one of them, a lady about 90 said “I would have been fishing more into that undercut bank”. I guess she was not impressed … (I was going to say, “Geez lady it took an 80 foot cast to hit the seam, let alone get it into the bank”), but then I realized she would have thought I was a sissy.
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Finishing up my flies for the hook’s up swap, and doing some bluegill flies. BTW, that is one beautiful fly. Wow. JGW
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Heaven help me, I think I’m turning into a pirate! I can’t stop tying these saltwater flies. Arrrrggghhhhh.
Steve
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went”-Will Rogers
Danged Steve,
I thought all the good saltwater fishing
was in Ohio. Oh well, I stand corrected.G
Warm regards, Jim
Just finished a few Foam Dave’s Hoppers and Foam Deer Hair Caddis but most recently I’ve been trying to catch up on some Spongy Spiders for gills this season.
Spongy Foam Spider I tie:
Hook: #8 Aberdeen
Body: Teardrop shaped foam body (Two trimmed and superglued 2mm closed cell foam strips about 1/4 inch wide and 1 inch long cut from sheet foam called a “Foamie” by Darice), hook bend inserted through the wide end and tied to the hook shank in the center and half way between the forward section.
Legs: Four bungee cord rubber strands twice the length of hook shank with two tied in the middle to either side of and at the center tie in point of body.
Add superglue or Sally to the underside for strength to the thread wraps. Should look like a spider with a total of eight legs, with an abdomen (wide end at rear), thorax (center), and head. A fun and easy tie .
BTW, here is a pattern for somebody in that Wally World Swap . You can get all the materials including the hook, foam, bungee cord, superglue, and thread for this fly there (assuming Walmart or Kmart).
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
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I just finished up a batch of Infamous Pink Worms for the Worm Turns swap and tied up some beetles, jelly beans, worms, and a few others for Michael G who sent me some killer bass flies earlier this summer. Next will be whatever I come up with from those parrot feathers I’ve got for the Quaker Swap.
But this weekend, I fish. Going back to the Adirondacks to entice something to bite. Hopefully, not a bear.
Diane
NoahsBoyz (Ron),
I note on speys. In reality, the fly does not really matter as long as it is reasonable in size and color.
If you take the orange spey as a model, just vary the hook size and color for visibility.
For instance, a silver tag, black floss, natural pheasant rump hackle, red dub, silver tinsel, mallard flank and goose shoulder wings is a great pattern or add Glasso style hackle tip wings in black.
I read through the Trey Combs book to get color ideas (The one with all the flies in the back).
rriver,
I’m one of those who ties flies to fish to. If I’m in a swap then I pay close attention to the number of tinsel wraps and such, but if it’s for fishing…I Don’t think the fish count.
Those are both very good looking flies and I’m gonna have to tie a few variations when I get back from Idaho. I especially like the TFO. Should go well with my TFO spey rod.
REE
I’ve been tying up a batch of the “Anything Caddis” that is featured in the Autumn issue of fly tyer. It looks great and I’ve been looking for a good caddis other than the elk hair.
The one’s I’m tying are #22’s though, so maybe by the time I get to fish them I’ll be able to see again.
Ron, That made me laugh. I exchange email with some famous tiers, and some have been kind enough to evaluate my flies (I wanted honest feedback about how good I am or am not), and they do make a big deal about 5 wraps, etc. and other things like that. I understand the point, but it is still funny.
Many really good tiers do not fish that much, but are more pure tiers. I want my flies to look good, so I do try to pay attention to the details to a point.
What surprises me is how badly tied many old flies are, by todays standards. But they did not have our tools or materials.
I tend to tie flies before I go to bed for what I plan to use the next day, so I just never sit down and tie 100 of something in a row to get those perfect flies. I also tend to just make it up as I go along.
My son shot a few Chukars last weekend. He gave me a couple wings to see if there were any feathers I might be able to use. So far I have a tyed a a half doz. each of size 18 Hares ear Soft Hackles, and BWO’s.
Now if he would just shoot a few Blue Grouse!
Wayne
Wayne,
Be sure he gives you the flank feathers from the chukars.
Light green Crease Flies on a #2 hooks. I’ve got two dozen stuck in a foam holder waiting to receive their red acrylic mouth and gill slits, not to mention their silver prismatic stick-on eyes.
It’s a little early yet, the water temperature is still hanging right about 80 but I have to get ready for the fall surface action with LMB, hybrids, and strippers. Definitely coming soon!
BTW, rriver that is one beautiful fly!
8T
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
Arizona is the only place in the United States where you can find a little Blue Winged Olive Hatch or a Trico Hatch Mid-Winter. I keep my box stocked with 20 & 22 BWO’s; also STS (Swiss Trico Spent). I am also tying various Caddis patterns & Streamers such as Rattlesnakes (Olive/Gold Bead & Black/Red Glass Bead) !!! The latter patterns will serve me for an early Fall trip to the East Fork Black (White Mountains Arizona) !!