Reverse BM Spey Wing Input Sought

[cencalfly 0]

I’ve been working on how to tie a BM wing as described by Kelson (pg 101&102 of his book). It’s a struggle to put it lightly. I’m burning through a lot of feathers. Kelson also noted that it takes a lot of practice. That's ok. However, if some sage advice can be shared, I’m all ears.

One realization that hit me this evening as I’m rifling through a pile of BM feathers; I don’t need matching left and right feathers for this method. Those are important for the sleek, close to the body, upside-down keel type winging. It’s not necessary for the higher ‘bed-head sexy winging’ (IMHO) seen in many historical photos.

I have a Gold Riach body that I’m using to practice winging on. The base as a whole seems somewhat sparse. I stripped one side of the Coq de lon hackle feather as described in the aforementioned Kelson reference. I tied it for the sole purpose of BM winging. Pic below is the base fly and my next slips of BM to try. Please feel free to tell me if they should work or am I going down a wrong path. Hook is a BH #1.

 

[flytire 0]

davie mcphail has some good videos on that style of wing

[Heff2 0]

Interesting, little out of my experience but I think this might be an instance where pulling the BM off the rachis and leaving only the membrane will allow them to gather better when you tie them in initially.  Then you can bring them back over and separate them.  Gonna need some jumbo BM feathers for that.  You find anyone selling them in bulk? I got a pack on 12 pairs and it was a lot cheaper than the usual 3 pair per pack.  
 

Really the opposite of what we’ve come to think of as a mallard roof tho Kelson goes onto describe the now more common style with 6 slips over the body in the next section.  I see you put this to Spey pages, lots of experience there, look forward to seeing their response and your final result.   

[cencalfly 0]

On 6/18/2024 at 5:16 AM, flytire said:

davie mcphail has some good videos on that style of wing

Thanks Norm.  From what I've seen McPhail covers the modern/contemporary way of tying in the wings.  I don't know if he has one that hits what I'm trying to do. 

The closest I've got were videos from Ryan Houston (couple of good vids below). John Shewey references him in his latest book on Spey flies, Their History and Construction. However, I think Houston still does not cover what I'm after.  In his reconstruction videos he does not start the wings by tying them in with tips facing forward over the eye.  Then folding them back over the body as described by Kelson.  Houston does go into the figure eight tying of the BM wing and tying off behind the wing. 

https://youtu.be/UZf6NzCSjPc?si=ZAuojnKewr71b5JX

https://youtu.be/KPBjB0Zvvpo?si=fupnvFtHHSIafPy4

As written by Shewey, Kelson ,and others Shanks and other Speyside ghillies used this technique.  The commercial houses of the day reportedly moved away from it.  It was difficult and production mattered.  If it fished it sold.   This may be fool's errand but we all need a hobby.   

[cencalfly 0]

On 6/18/2024 at 5:54 AM, Heff2 said:

Interesting, little out of my experience but I think this might be an instance where pulling the BM off the rachis and leaving only the membrane will allow them to gather better when you tie them in initially.  Then you can bring them back over and separate them.  Gonna need some jumbo BM feathers for that.  You find anyone selling them in bulk? I got a pack on 12 pairs and it was a lot cheaper than the usual 3 pair per pack.  
 

Really the opposite of what we’ve come to think of as a mallard roof tho Kelson goes onto describe the now more common style with 6 slips over the body in the next section.  I see you put this to Spey pages, lots of experience there, look forward to seeing their response and your final result.   

Hi Arthur:  Yeah I've pulled the BM off the rachis and found bulk feathers.  What's good about this method is you don't need matching left and right slips.  Just a ton of tying skills which we're working on here.  Spey pages did give a lot of good info but as noted above I still feel it was a little short of the mark.  Shewey does show a SBS in his book which helps.  He also mentions that maybe some skilled tiers of today may resurrect the style.  I stepped away to tie some other flies but the adventure continues.