André Ribeiro

Hi Dave, If you like vintage items, like me, you will love it, like me. In recently trip to USA, I have purchased another reel to use with this bamboo rod, a New Zealand Brown Trout from Leland: I hope to premier it soon. Big Hug

These are some parts of The complete book of fly fishing (by Tom McNally): And these are some photos of my Milward Para 15 7'6": The reel is a Vom Hofe reproduction from Angler's Roost Enterprise. Big Hug

The appearance looks good, but I don't know about the mix of the materials. I guess your intent was to tie an dry, so you shoud avoid chenille cause it soaks very easy and it's very difficult to dry again, try a synthetic dubbing instead, like superfine and a floss for the ribbing. I think the wing is very thin too, try to put more fibers. Be carefully with the head, it looks a little bulky (too many turns), maybe less turns or a thinner thread, a varnish on it it's not a bad idea. Great Job

My pleasure!

Nice birds! These are some of the excelent poppers for bass, tied by a friend of mine Jorge here in Brasil. Big Hug

I also liked both, and I tie both a little different too. For the Coachman (I call it Royal Wulff), I like to use moose hair for the tail (or elk hair or deer hair in the same size of the shank), because it floats better and don't soak. Proportions are very critical to dry flies, I use to tie the calft tail fibers about 75% of the shank, the three segments peacock-floss-peacock should be 1/3 of the size between the wing and the hook bend. I also like to use ultra wire over these three segments to add some flash and reinforce too. For the hackle, three turns behind the wing and two in front, reserve a little more space for the head. For the King Trude, I use half dubbing and half hackle (and a small space for the head). The tail should shows the two bars of the pheasant tail fibers. Try to draw the fly that you will tie and make some notes, it helps to pay attention to some details. Overall I guess your hackle could be a little longer (between 1.5 and 2 times the hook gap). And be carefull with the fibbers twist on the tail, it seems they are a little in the far side of the hook. Big Hug

This is a Quack Coachman (a Royal Coachman with calf tail wings), that after some time had the golden pheasant tail fibers of the tail changed to hair (deer, elk or moose). So became called Royal Wullf ('cause it was similar with the Wulffs' patterns).

Perfect! Excelent tip. Thanks for sharing.

At your service. Royal Coachman uses duck feathers as wings. In fact it's an interesting story. Q L Quackenbush, a member of the Beaverkill Trout Club, like the fanwinged Royal Coachman but found the wings too flimsy and fragile. He asked Reuben Cross (a fly tyer) to dress a Royal Coachman with a more robust wing. Reuben asked his suppliers to send him suitable material that was stiff, white and kinky. They sent him Impala Tails that were ideal for the task. To the fly produced was given the name of the Quack Coachman by members of the Beverkill Trout Club. But, this fly looked very similar to the more popular Wulff dry flies and gradually became known as the Royal Wulff. Nowadays we use Calf Tail in substitution to the Impala Tail.

There's a good material too at Hareline

Try Poly Yarn. Big Hug

Are you refering my blog? I live in Brazil and my postages are written in portuguese, but as you said, there's a translator tool in it. I don't think it works very well, but it'll always be better than my translation. Big Hug

Thanks Mike, This pattern supposed to imitate a stonefly and/or a hopper, so I agree there's no need tail. But it's an attractor, then I think all these hair and feather fiber are justified, even it looks something odd. Big Hug

Thanks, It's a very interesting pattern in fact. I really know what you mean, my list is huge too. Big Hug

Material List: Hook Tiemco 5263 #6 Thread 6/0 fluo orange Foam 2mm tan Angora Goat Dubbing burnt orange Poly Yarn white Golden Pheasant tippets Rubber legs barred (white/black) DNA Holo Chromosome Flash pearl Elk Hair natural Permanent Marker black Step by step tying instructions: http://www.fuzzyflies.com/2014/12/ho-candy-double-x.html Big Hug

Except of few specific materials (saltwater flashabou, flexo tubing, etc), the most of freshwater materials can be used to tie saltwater flies. If you give more importance to the fish than to your flies, you could keep the same hooks (not using stainless steel hooks), if you prefer to have more durable flies use a stainless steel hook. Big Hug

I used a mini box studio for long time, as Mike suggested. But even its small size is too large and unpractical. I solved this problem and now I use a circular flash. It really produces good and clear shots, specially for macros. This is one pic using this flash. Big Hug

I have some of these white peacock herl and use them in some patterns variations, here some examples: Blood Worm variation with an white colar, tied in Tiemco 200R #20 Tunkwanamid variation using the 2 peacock herl colors, also in Tiemco 200R #20 F Fly variation using the white peacock herl as body and pale yellow CDC as wing, tied in Tiemco 100 #20 These flies are very effective with a small specie we have were in Brasil, Lambari: Here one with the Blood Worm variation in mouth And also with other species, even trouts. I think you shoud also try to use them to tie some maggots and as underbody to scuds or gammarus. Big Hug

It seems like mallard feathers, but unfortunatelly I guess the quality it is not good. They are used for many parts of the flies (tails, wings, throat, legs, etc), but only the thick fibers (the tips). Those fluffy fibers on the bottom of the feathers normally are discarded, but they can be used in dubbings as under bodies, small fluffy tails and others parts. Big Hug

It's difficult to identify what kind of hackle is only by this pic. It could be a common saddle but chances are to be a coq de leon too, anyway it's look like a cock feather. The size of the hook depends on the fly type and the food available where you intend to fish. For terrestrials and streamers it could vary between #6 and #10, on the other side for midges it could reach #24. And as already said, the shank length could vary a lot. The hackle is ok! For this pattern (kind of woolly bugger) the hackle is normally 1.5x or 2x the hook gap. You can trim it, but I guess it's not necessary, and you will discover it's not so easy to trim it equally all around. Next time you tie one, take some attention to the tail, the fibers should be on the top of the shank, in this picture you can note they are at the side of the shank. You should also position your fly a little far from the background (to avoid the shadows), it will produce a better pic. Big Hug

I think it's great! Love the tips and the solutions, I think he have a special gift to look at a material and see it in the hook.

It seems to be small ones (most of them), in this case I guess #16 is the top limit to keep the surface footprint and the pattern size compatible with the available food.

Most of the time trout feeding habit is opportunistic, if your fly (specially dries) have a natural drifting they are not picky. So it could be eventually a drag and a unnatural drift, or some not usually color on the fly (not probably). About the size of the hook, it depends. What are the most available food in this creek, acquatic insects (these nymphs and larvae) or terrestrials?

That's true, but if you have a descentered wing, with or without hackle your fly is unbalanced. The wing pulls the gravity center of the fly upward, and this will make it lies on it's sides. Adding a hackle, the lower bristles will bring back the gravity center, and the side bristles will help maintain the fly on the surface.

Great fly, simple and productive! Congrats!!!