The North American Fly Fishing Forum - The Wood Series; Salmon & Trout Patterns

I really love winter, well late fall here but it is cold and windy enough to keep me away from the river so............ I enjoy tying flies as much as I enjoy fishing. Does that mean I'm getting old? At any rate I have stumbled unto an idea that for me is new ground. I am going to produce a series of fly patterns that are meant for salmon and trout / steelhead. The epiphany for me is that rather than the brightly colored flies I have been either copying or creating for over thirty years I will be tying with earth tone materials.

Whenever you actually create something you must give it a name. If you build a building and then park your car in it you should call it your garage right? Since the colors that I intend to employ will be mostly those of natures more muted variety I am calling these the wood series flies. Scaled down they would be fine fare for trout anywhere in the country. Built on a size 1 single salmon hook you have yourself a fly for the Atlantic or Pacific coast fisheries.

The Fly; Cedarwood

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...arwood0001.jpg[/IMG]

The Recipe;

Hook: Gamakatsu single salmon #1
Thread: Black
Tag: Medium oval copper tinsel
Tail: A few very small marabou herls dyed brown
Body: Rear half, copper brown floss ribbed with medium oval copper tinsel
Waist joint: Peacock herl
Body: Front half, dubbed fur from a hare's mask ribbed with medium embossed copper tinsel
Beard: A small bunch of tiny marabou feather herls
Wing: Matched goose quill sections dyed cedar tan, over which is a small bunch of fitch tail spun around the top of wing.
Collar: Rich brown hackle tied back
Head: Black and lacquered

Seen with a litter-mate, Alderwood;

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...ls/Duo0001.jpg[/IMG]

Alderwood;

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...rdview0001.jpg[/IMG]

The Recipe;

Hook:Gamakatsu single salmon #1
Thread: Black
Tag: Medium oval tinsel gold
Tail: Dyed golden pheasant crest crimson
Body: Rear half olive green floss ribbed with fine gold oval tinsel
Waist joint: Peacock herl
Body: Front half of dubbed brown seal with olive sparkle dub added, ribbed with heavy gold oval tinsel
Throat: A pinch of dyed olive rabbit fur
Wing: A pair of pheasant tail sections as under-wing, very sparse lt.olive bucktail over which is a nice bunch of natural Monga ringtail or similar

This is the third of the classic hair and feather wing type ties of this series.

The Cottonwood:

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...rdside0001.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...rtside0001.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...pcloak0001.jpg[/IMG]

The Recipe;

Hook: Gamakatsu T10-6H size 1/0
Thread: Black 0/8
Tag: Old Sunrise wide gold tinsel, very gold colored
Tip: Copper rayon floss
Tail: A very small bunch of polar bear tied in short
Body:Rear 2/3 Ginger brown floss / Rib: Braided gold tinsel cord size 10
Body: Front, dubbed heavy with olive grey blend / Rib: palmered with hen pheasant shoulder feather
Beard: Small bunch of polar bear
Wing: Underwing is a small bunch of white marabou
Cloak: Overwing is a bronzed mallard flank tied in flat
Head: Built to a taper and lacquered black 0/8 thread

Next there are three Spey patterns;

The Driftwood Spey;

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...rtview0001.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...rdview0001.jpg[/IMG]

The Recipe;

Hook: Daiichi Alec Jackson Spey sized 1.5
Thread: Black
Tag: Copper oval tinsel fine
Tail: Short golden pheasant crest dyed dk. olive green
Body: Black spun fur
Rib: Braided copper tinsel wide; Follow with a burnt spey hackle dyed heron grey.
Collar: Burnt spey hackle dyed brown
Wing: A bronzed mallard feather folded and tied over all
Head: Lacquered black tying thread

Next, a color variation of the Driftwood theme;

The Olive Driftwood;

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...rdview0001.jpg[/IMG]

The Recipe;

Hook: Alec Jackson Spey 1.5 Bronze
Thread: Black
Tag: Fine oval copper tinsel
Tail: Golden pheasant crest dyed dk. olive green
Body: Brown spun fur
Rib: Braided copper tinsel, followed by a brown burnt spey hackle
Wing: Matched sections of a golden pheasant tail feather
Collar: Long olive green spey hackle
Head: Wound with black ostrich herl tied off and lacquered.

This is the third of the spey styl patterns in this series.

Ironwood;

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...rtview0001.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/g...rdview0001.jpg[/IMG]

Recipe;

Hook: Alec Jackson spey 1.5
Thread: Black 0/8
Tag: Flat medium silver tinsel
Tip: A very small winding of deep claret floss
Body: Rear 2/3, thinly dressed with silver grey floss then burnished to dull it a bit.
Waist: A short grey spey hackle faced with black ostrich herl
Body: Front 1/3, Built up to three times the thickness of the rear with floss and ribbed with silver oval braid.
Collar: A long grey spey hackle
Wing: A teal flank dyed dk. gray / black
Head: Tapered and lacquered black thread

I figure six are enough for a series of patterns. I have tied a utility version of each pattern that is simpler and less time consuming at the vise but hold true to the theam of each fly. I will post them in the coming days. I trust you will find these flies as interesting as I have. My intention was to give myself a gift that I could not go out and buy. I hope displays such as this will inspire you to be creative at your flycraft when you tie.

Ard