Bruce Derington 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2006 I've seen alot of these on this site but have never seen one up close. My question may seem oddbut could someone show the underside closeup? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fly time 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2006 Sure thing Bruce, Ill take a pict in a few and post it, but im gonna warn ya now, this was my first one. Dustin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fly time 0 Report post Posted November 17, 2006 As I was uploading these picts, I just thought, you lookin to see a real one or a tied one? the leggs are way off on these, but the bodies are not bad. These were the first 2 that I have tried. Dustin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bruce Derington 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2006 Thanks Dustin. I watched the virtual class last night and I guess I was expecting to see a seam on the underside. I'm not sure how the body material encompasses the underbody, I must have missed something. I'll pay better attention in the future, thanks for the photos Bruce Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fly time 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2006 Bruce mine is tied way different than Alex ties his, I start and wrap thread to the rear of the hook, halfway in the bend, then use some fine, jute twine to build up the body, then I use part of a latex glove to do the rest of the body, and it works fairly well. Dustin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Hard 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2006 I never really caught how that was done either. I thought about it after, and kept thinking how Alex tied on the material and made the thread spin it around the shank before he folded it forward. I have yet to try it, and keep thinking how he said it was mummified. With any luck Alex will be on before to long and clear things up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mhackney 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2006 I sat in on Alex's class on Thursday and actually complete my stonefly during that time - it is butt ugly but it is a fly and I learned the techniques. I have been working on another yesterday and today and am taking my time, working from photos and having a blast. I am ready to do the legs now - which are the biggest pain. The technique that Alex taught for the abdomen is also described (albeit not very well) in Phil Whillock's book. I find his book is a great reference for anatomy and has some good techniques but the stonefly section is riddled with errors (measurements, etc) and ommissions. The technigue for doing the abdomen sections though was easy to learn (my first one looked fine) and looks great when completed. I've seen the latex strip method too and I like the simpicity of that. I might give it a shot on my next one. cheers, Michael Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex C. 0 Report post Posted November 19, 2006 The swiss straw should come around and slightly overlap itself. You'd think there would be a seam, and I'm guessing if you got a highpowered magnifying glass you could see it. I can't see it on any of the ones I've tied, probably since the swiss straw is so thin. The latex method is good too, but the only thing I don't like about it is the "candy cane stripe" effect. I use that method with other materials on some of my fishing flies, but I haven't seen a real stonefly with a single spiral dividing each segment. When you think about it, the spiral type abdomen doesn't even divide the segments, unless you only look at it from one side. I'm not putting down the spiral type segmented adbomens, I just think the way I showed you guys in the class is more real. :dunno: Lets do another class We'll have 3 parts, the undebody and the abdomen, the legs, then the thorax and head. I'll put a sign up thread shortly :headbang: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mhackney 0 Report post Posted November 19, 2006 I would use the spiral method for fishable realistics but I agree with Alex regarding the candycane effect. I tried it last night. I have stonefly # 2 in the vise. I followed a hybrid of Alex's class and techniques from Flies as Art. Basically, I tied the legs on first as Whillock does and completed the rest of the fly. Now I am at that dreadful stage of finishing the legs! The rest of the fly looks very good though. It was much easier taking my time on the abdomen spacing, wingbud preparation and spacing and gills. I could also use the first rough fly as a tool to refine the patterns for the various parts. Of course, to keep it interesting, I was tying a different species of stonefly local to my streams! But the big differences are in the wingbud shapes and some minor proportions and coloration. In retrospect, it was good to do a "speed tie" to see the entire process end-to-end and make a few mistakes along the way. Having a little pre-knowledge of some of the critical steps and having handled the materials before class would have helped a lot. That was the first time I had used swiss straw and medallion sheeting. Now I think that maybe 4 classes would be ideal - 1 each of the topics you outlined Alex and a "Final Exam" to go through the entire fly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex C. 0 Report post Posted November 19, 2006 I have stonefly # 2 in the vise. I followed a hybrid of Alex's class and techniques from Flies as Art. Basically, I tied the legs on first as Whillock does and completed the rest of the fly. Now I am at that dreadful stage of finishing the legs! The rest of the fly looks very good though Have fun, I tied my first stone the way he tells in his book with the legs made while already on the fly and had a heck of a time with the other legs being in the way. That was what caused me to start tying them off the body. Looking forward to seeing #2 :headbang: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites