Spey flies?

[Piker20 0]

Hi folks. Looking at the forum over recent times spey flies are showing up a lot and Eastern is hosting a swap for this style of fly. What has struck me, as someone that doesn't tie this style and would like to start is what some people class as a Spey fly.

In my mind Spey or Dee flies all pretty much look similar with a tented wing and long flowing hackle fibres beneath the hook. A good example of how I imagine spey flies ishttp://www.bobfrandsenflies.com/deeandspeyflies.htm.

Someone who I know ties a great spey is Riffleriversteelheadslayer and he posted http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=38236 as an example of a spey but this is quite a way from what I imagine as a Spey.

So guess my question is what is a Spey fly? What does it have to contain to be this style of fly?

 

[Jaydub 0]

I'm not an expert but, I don't really consider Shewey's Spawning Purple to be a true Spey fly. I think the "Spey" in the name just differentiates it from another fly called the Spawning Purple. I have heard Mr. Shewey talk about the name, but I can't remember his exact comments.

 

When I think of Spey flies, I think of Syd Glasso style flies, with long flowing body hackles and often hackle tip wings or duck flank wings that hug the top of the body. Of course the original Spey flies come from your side of the pond.

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

I know the Shewey spey isn't a spey at all but it is a great pattern for springers and chrome

[Piker20 0]

So what does a spey fly have to make it a spey? Is it the use of tented wing and long body hackles or is there more to it?

[Jaydub 0]

Piker, you might find this article useful: http://nwflytyer.wordpress.com/tying-notes/an-introduction-to-spey-flies/

 

I know the Shewey spey isn't a spey at all but it is a great pattern for springers and chrome

 

That is for sure. Notice the pink version in my profile pic.

[Piker20 0]

Great article and what I was after. Wonder why google never threw that up? I think I will start using up some turkey playing with wings.

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

also play with some golden pheasant tail for wings it looks great as does white swan I think a true Spey is tented wings the type of hook and the long flowing body hackles reason I add the type of hook is this if you compare the shank length of a spey hook and a regular salmon hook there is a big difference as is also true about the bend itself so this might shed a bit more light on your quandry

[FishDragon 0]

The original speys had dull colors and a tented mallard wing. A dee fly has two strips of turkey or goose feather that go up at a slight angle and in a v shape.

Now there are many spey fly styles like Glasso style speys with hackle tips for the wing. I think any fly with long flowing hackles underneath to be a spey style fly.

[Christopher K 0]

It's important to note that dee flies are not tented, only spey's are. the classic spey's were meant to be swung for atlantics in scotland (river spey and dee) the style of casting (which the flies was designed for) is meant to be used on heavily "treed" rivers on which there is not much room for back cast, they were shrimp patterns for the most part. The originals were almost exclusively tied with a roof of bronze mallard and the hackle is usually heron although today many people use BEP or ringneck pheasant as a sub. Most of the swaps are west coast or skagit flies which are a more modern design, they are heavy, big flies mostly fished for steelhead and salmon.

[Crackaig 0]

Colin, you are entering a world that is stranger than fiction! Spey and Dee flies are two styles of classic salmon flies. (As with most things the definition has been abused to include all kinds of things). Christopher has it about right as the definition goes. Heron was the original hackle, but is now illegal to obtain so substitutes are used. The reason for heron is that the feather doesn't mat together. It stays loose to flow in the water.

 

Spey hackles are always palmered. On a classic salmon fly the palmering starts at the third turn of rib. If it aint palmered, it aint a spey. One of the substitutes (not the best) is made from goose feathers burned with bleach so they will flow like heron hackle. If you want to make some of these then I have a big bag of them sat here. Burning and dying though will be up to you. (I can show you how to burn them). Also I've a few appropriately large irons you and have for your first attempts.

 

Something else to remember is that these are big flies. A really good mallard will only have, at most, six bronze feathers appropriate for these flies. Fortunately help is at hand. Cookshill do bags of matched pairs of large bronze mallard that are the best you will get anywhere.

 

Some years ago I came across a few very old heron Spey hackles, this was the result.

 

The hackle is a little short for the size of hook, but it was just a case of putting it together with what I had. Silly money changes hands for classic salmon fly materials, I've never been in a position to get into that.

 

Cheers,

C.

[dogsnfish 0]

Check out the classicflytying forum in the index; there are some real artists there and you can see some of the different types including spey and dee flies. It is something I have slowly been getting into because I have tied enough to meet my fishing needs for a few years but I still want to tie. I live within 30 minutes of great steelhead water on the Clearwater and Snake and many of the classics do very well on steelhead. C- hit it on the head; some of the materials are mucho pricey. A jungle cock cape can go over $100.

[Christopher K 0]

Also, blue heron is illegal however grey (european) heron is not. I really like the burned goose as a hackle, if you do it properly it looks great in the water, you can get tremendous length and they are CHEAP. I just posted a dee in the april flies from the vice if you want to take a look

[Christopher K 0]

Check out the classicflytying forum in the index; there are some real artists there and you can see some of the different types including spey and dee flies. It is something I have slowly been getting into because I have tied enough to meet my fishing needs for a few years but I still want to tie. I live within 30 minutes of great steelhead water on the Clearwater and Snake and many of the classics do very well on steelhead. C- hit it on the head; some of the materials are mucho pricey. A jungle cock cape can go over $100.

It's the bustard and crow you have to watch out for

[Piker20 0]

Cheers Alan I'll take you up on some goose feathers. Cheers everyone else too, I'll play with these flies a bit more.

[Crackaig 0]

I'll sort out a bag of them, and put it behind the door for you to collect. It'll be with the wader studs!!!

Cheers,

C.