The challenge thread!

[niveker 0]

Carrot Fly

from Bergman's 'Trout' (original)

Hook: #12

Thread: Camel

Tail: Paint brush fibers (white hackle wisps)

Body: Great Pyrenees fur (light cream fur dubbing)

Hackle: Orange and green

 

 

[niveker 0]

Next challenge: the original Sofa Pillow

[gadabout 0]

21 hours ago, niveker said:

Nice tie,  Gadabout.  I've never used Bill's Body Braid, what are your thoughts concerning using flash as a substitute?  I've heard the BBB is much finer and limper when picked out.

 

I’ve never used it before this fly either.  Just happened to have some on hand.  I went to a fly shop once to get some Diamond Braid, and this is what the guy sold me.

i think it would be a lot of work to tie this fly with flash, but I’m sure it would be OK.

[gadabout 0]

7 hours ago, niveker said:

Carrot Fly

from Bergman's 'Trout' (original)

Hook: #12

Thread: Camel

Tail: Paint brush fibers (white hackle wisps)

Body: Great Pyrenees fur (light cream fur dubbing)

Hackle: Orange and green

 

 

Nice tie niveker, and thanks for taking on the challenge!

[niveker 0]

Thanks Gadabout, and appreciate your feedback on the Bill's BB

[Heff2 0]

I'll take the Sofa Pillow

[niveker 0]

👍

[Heff2 0]

The Sofa Pillow 

Originator: Pat Barnes, 1940s.

Hook: Mustad 9672 4-10, sz 8 here 

Thread: 30D brown nano silk

Tail: Dyed red duck quill 

Body: Red floss

Wing: Grey squirrel tail

Hackle:  brown saddle hackles

from FAOL 

This pattern is a major contribution by Pat Barnes to fly fishing. It was named spontaneously. Once in the 1940s, Pat hosted a group of Texans who couldn't hook trout on small flies. To solve their problem, Pat used materials on his tying bench to tie a large dry stonefly pattern. When one Texan say the result in Pat's hand beside a size 16 fly, de drawled "It's a big as a sofa pillow!" Pat responded "You named it!" Pat offered Sofa Pillows with red squirrel tail wing or a gray squirrel tail wing."

 

next Challenge fly is:  The No Hackle Fly 

[niveker 0]

21 minutes ago, Heff2 said:

The Sofa Pillow

Nice. 

22 minutes ago, Heff2 said:

The No Hackle Fly

Damn, you're brutal

[flytire 0]

59 minutes ago, Heff2 said:

next Challenge fly is:  The No Hackle Fly 

brutal is right

its a no thanks from me 😢

[Heff2 0]

1 hour ago, niveker said:

Damn, you're brutal

Perhaps you gents are right.  I'll give it 2 days and change it should no one volunteer.  Possibly I'll have one I'm willing to share a photo of by then, my first dozen are a little rough.  

Niveker, that Carrot fly was pretty great. I'll have to find some green hackle

[flytire 0]

heff

you can always tie your own challenge fly

[SilverCreek 0]

After tying a no hackle dry fly, try casting it. I bet it it will spin and twist your tippet.

The wings are have to be perfect and I mean PERFECT for the fly to be aerodynamically stable when cast.

First of all, the fly should be tied using MATCHING right and left wings taken from the SAME goose. Then you need matching feathers taken from the identical location from those L and R wings. Then you need to cut the flies wing slips from the identical matching spot from those two matching wings and you better hope they match. Then you need to mount them on the correct side of the fly, each one at the same slant to the rear, the same tilt to the side and the same same length. Any slight variation and the fly will spin. So using matching wings and feather slips gives the tier the best chance of success.

In my opinion, a no hackle dry fly one of the most difficult dry flies to tie and you won't know if it is tied right until you cast it. It can look good and still spin.

I bet there are very few members that even have matching wings that are identified as taken from the same goose. I have hunters save them in separate bags but I haven't seen fly shops sell matching goose wing feathers that way.

[Heff2 0]

Thx @SilverCreek, those are good tips.  Care to take up the challenge and show us a perfect one? I almost called you out when I posted this because I know you enjoy a fly with a high level of precision. 

[SilverCreek 0]

14 hours ago, Heff2 said:

Thx @SilverCreek, those are good tips.  Care to take up the challenge and show us a perfect one? I almost called you out when I posted this because I know you enjoy a fly with a high level of precision. 

I've tried and failed! It is one of the those flies I cannot master.