Grey Hackle?

[netabrookie 0]

I was ask by a relative to tie him some grey hackle flies but he didn't realize that there is a few by that name. I was in the checkout line at the grocery store and he ask if I could tie him some because he had lost the only one that he had left. The store was crowded and I was almost at the register as he approached excusing himself by the shoppers waiting behind me. In the few seconds that I had to think I could remember a grey hackle peacock and the grey hackle yellow, green and brown but not a plain grey hackle. I asked him what color the body was and he answered with "grey" and gave me a look as if I was on the verge of being a bit stupid. Since then I have tied quite a few different versions with grey bodies, dubbed and floss, starling, grizzly, partridge and dun hackle, some with ribs of tinsel or wire, some with tails and still I don't know if I am anywhere close to what he wants. I should have started this off by saying that the only thing that I am absolutely sure about is that they are wet flies. The old fellow that tied the original ones for him has passed on and is casting in that big river in the sky and I don't know if I am just overlooking something in my search or if "grey hackle" is just a name that the old fellow gave them and is only known by a few locals farther up in the mountains. If there is anyone with any information or suggestions I would sure appreciate the advice.

[Crackaig 0]

About the best you can do is get him to work with you when tying them. There are just too many questions to be answered. What size of hook? What thread, tail, body, rib, wing, hackle?

 

Some years ago I was asked to tie some "Brown Montana Nymphs". A friend had recommended them, but wouldn't give him one. So I asked what size and tail material. Knowing that the Montana is a standard pattern. I tied them, and delivered them."They are nothing like the fly he uses." was the response I got. Well that is a marabou tailed Montana Nymph in the sizes you asked for. I explained that what I had tied was the standard pattern for a Montana Nymph, if he wanted something different get me either, the pattern you want or an example of the fly. He would or could do neither.

 

About a year later I finally saw the fly that was being described as a "Brown Montana Nymph". Size 10 or 12 long shank hook. Gold bead head, Brown chenille body, wing of brown marabou, coachman brown hackle. A Montana Nymph???????????

 

From that I learned that it is important that we call flies by what we mean. This is not a new problem. Courtney Williams wrote about it in A Dictionary of Trout Flies, where he has a section on "The Purity of the Breed". All about not calling a fly by another fly's name. It is why photography is such an important part of my fly tying business. If the customer is unsure of the pattern he want I can tie one up as I understand it, and email him the image. We then have a basis to discus modifications.

 

Let us know how you get on.

 

Cheers,

C.

 

Cheers,

C.

[shoebop 0]

 

Like this? Or..

 

 

.

[utyer 0]

Where I started fishing, the "Gray Hackle" was a yellow wool or floss body, ribbed with gold. The hackle was gray (sometimes grizzly,) but not usually partridge. There was also a gray hackle peacock, that was used, but more often the peacock body was pared with a brown hackle.

 

Since your "relative" said the body was gray, your best bet would be to show him what options you have and ask him to pick the one that looks closest to his old pattern. Explain to him that there are many patterns that could be called a gray hackle. Some may not have even started out called that at first.

[Piker20 0]

And then post a pic so we all know what a grey hackle is for future reference lol.

[flytire 0]

Well there are many published grey hackle patterns dating back many many years that can be used as reference.

 

Maybe the original posters friends pattern is regional

 

[Sundance 0]

When I was a kid (in Montana in the late 40's), the grey hackle was the first fly I learned to tie. We had two versions: the grey hackle peacock with a red tail, a peacock body, and either a brown or grizzly hackle. The other was a grey hackle yellow. It had a red tail, a yellow floss body ribbed with gold tinsel and, again, a brown or grizzly hackle. Grizzly hackle was more common. They were tied in both wet and dry styles, though I tied only dries. Just for the heck of it I tied a couple last summer to see if they still worked. Yep.

[netabrookie 0]

Thanks for the replies folks. The "relative" is a cousins of mine that doesn't really fly fish, but uses light spinning gear to fish for the mountain brookies. I misunderstood him when that he said that he had lost the last one that he had because I was thinking that it was in a laurel bush or hung up on a rock or something. After he came to look at the flies yesterday I found out that he kept all of his fishing gear in his garage that burned down and he "lost" everything. My dad and I built that garage almost thirty years ago but a friend of my cousin left the draft on the wood stove open and now it is history. When I first started tying some for him I tied up some of the known grey hackle flies and then started making up all sorts of versions with grey bodies instead of the original ones made from peacock or floss or wool. I used grizzly, dun, starling and guinea for most of the hackles on them but did do a few with partridge just because I like to use it. When he looked at the flies that I had made for him he couldn't remember exactly which one was close to what he had lost but said that everything was close enough. I also introduced him to some nymphs that work good on the brookies and he wound up leaving yesterday evening with about five dozen flies. I was going to give him a pair of hip waders that I don't ever use any more but my foot is a few sizes bigger than his so that didn't work and I am going to get in my storage shed and find some of my spinning gear from the past and give it a new home.

[JSzymczyk 0]

perfect example of why "common" names are nearly useless- and here we are talking about just obscure fly patterns! ! It is much, much worse when talking about real living creatures, especially insects.