the split tail

[silvertip8k]

..focus is still on some steelhead and salmom ties...but pretty soon the tme for some nymphs and caddis bugs will be here...have some new sketches done for them...

here is a new "homegrown"...could be easily tied smaller and fished as a wet fly too...especially a early season bug...



Here is another attempt at a "tied in hand" that ended back on the vise...after a few trys I just finished it on the vise...when I was shaping the wings after completion I pulled them off three times...I jusy did not get enough tension on the floss to hold them adequtely...

the "old school" braided loop instead of the steel eye is sort of a traditional thing with "tied in hands"...back in the day folks didn t trust the steel in the hooks...and came up with this...maybe late 1700's until almost 1900...

this is a traditional pattern that has been used for a few hundred years in various foms...

The Split Tail...

This is one of my "three feather" patterns, that is a basic compliation of several Pacific Salmon and Steelhead patterns I studied...Its a pair of wood duck feathers for the wings, a canadian goose wing quill for the tail, and something special for the dubbing...some buffalo mop...I dont know what the real name is, its the really dark scraggly, curly fur on the buffalos forehead...

This came from the herd bull that fell through some ice a few winters ago...he was missing for a day...and we found him dead ...a real tragedy...but he lives on...in streams and rivers now! he weighed about 1800-2000 pounds...when he ran by the ground literally shook!



AO Feathers house brand No.2 hook

I straightened it out to tie on braided loop...

a pair of woodie flanks for wings...

some buffalo fur for the dubbing...

some .010" silver wire for the spiral wrap...

canadian goose quill for the tail...

[mcnerney]

Ted: Interesting, I think that is the first time I have seen anyone use buffalo. I know the hair on a buffalo is pretty scraggly so it seems kind of strange people haven't used it more often. I've never tried tying in the hand, I can only imagine that it is pretty tough to do without a lot of practice. I was reading an article the other day on Lee Wulff who used to demonstrate tying in the hand at all the fly fishing shows.

[silvertip8k]

Larry its a new thing to me...I am only just trying it now with simpler patterns...there are some folks that can tie in hand 10X better than I can in a vise...especially some of the classic salmon patterns....

it goes back to a time when an angler would whip up a fly while he was fishing in Ireland & Scotland (17-1800's)...with some items in his pocket...a thought that really appeals to me...now thats real "old school"...!

the story behind the "gut loop", which is what they used originally,but I used some braided dacron...strands of floss can be used to...

anglers didn't trust the strength of their hooks for salmon back in the day..and this is what they came up with...I do it out of respect for those old timers...as do many that "tie in hand" regularly...a group to which I am a total novice...

[wt bash]

Only thing I ever tried to tie in hand was a bucktail, it was a total mess and alls it took was one bluefish to destroy it but your's looks a lot better!