Chris Patterson 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2011 Hi guys, spent a bit of time at the vise today cranking out some rojo midge variations inspired by the Avirl Anjers video on the Hatches blog. I'm pretty happy with them but any hints on how to improve would be welcome Tungsten Rojo Midge by ubermuse, on Flickr Rojo Midge by ubermuse, on Flickr Tungsten Rojo Midge by ubermuse, on Flickr Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boynabubble 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2011 They look pretty good Chris. I would say try to trim the tag ends of your thread a little closer to the fly. Other than that they are not bad at all. You might consider tying some up in olive with a red bead. Those have always worked well for me. Keep on tying! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Vegas 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2011 That looks great Chris! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blakejd 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2011 They look pretty good Chris. I would say try to trim the tag ends of your thread a little closer to the fly. Other than that they are not bad at all. You might consider tying some up in olive with a red bead. Those have always worked well for me. Keep on tying! I agree although it will have nothing to do with fishability. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Patterson 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2011 Thanks guys. I'll work on those tags, they are a bit sloppy I was a bit worried that the herl collars on these were a tad big. Thoughts? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
notenuftoys 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2011 Looks great! I think you have the proportions just right. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phg 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2011 I would say that the thorax should be between 1/3 to 1/4 the length of the abdomen. You seem to be in that range. I think, though, that what you are looking at is the length of the fibers on your herl. That does seem to be a bit long for the size hook you are using. The only way you can fix that is to select herls from smaller peacock eyes. If you are purchasing your herl in packages, like most of us do, there's probably not a lot you can do about it. Pick through the package looking for the finest stems, but that's about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hairstacker 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2011 Ok, here's a little secret and if anyone asks, it didn't come from me. If you think your peacock herl is too long for the size of these hooks, take one of your finished flies pictured above and trim the herl with a pair of sharp scissors and see if you like the results. I'll bet you won't be able to tell it has been trimmed. With that said, in the future, you should try to select herls with smaller barbs if that's your preference. I've had the best luck at that by buying peacock eyes and picking the herls on or near the eye itself. You'll also find that the barb lengths will vary along the length of the herl, getting shorter as you get closer to the tip, if I recall correctly -- so pick your tie-in point on these smaller herls based on that. -- Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Patterson 0 Report post Posted January 11, 2011 Hmm, now there's a thought. I'll pick a suitable "victim" and give it a bit of a trim. I've never overdone it before with peacock herl but I guess there's a first time for everything. Thanks for the tips all! Going to use these suggestions and make up a few in olive with neatly trimmed tags! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Vegas 0 Report post Posted January 11, 2011 I learned something on this post! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted January 11, 2011 heres a great tutorial of Greg Garcias Rojo Midge http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/de...fm?parentID=120 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites