Snowies #2 for the Brora

[Sandan 0]

Thanks @chugbug27.

 

[Sandan 0]

Dec 31,2020. Last Snowie's #2 for the year. As always comments, criticism, advice and knowledge are welcome. 

[SalarMan 0]

Sandan - There is no doubt you have taken to tying classics on a serious level, so I believe it is time for nitpicking the minor details that make for more refined flies. I hope you don't mind.

I'll start with the topping. Your prep work is very good, but I think the curve is a little too pronounced. Something closer to riding along the top of the wing would be ideal. A bit more of a curve to the wing would help to coordinate with the topping. Finally...try to get that same cascade effect in the tail as well. The two similar looking feathers help with the complete look of the finished fly.

Well done to this point...well done indeed.

[Sandan 0]

41 minutes ago, SalarMan said:

Sandan - There is no doubt you have taken to tying classics on a serious level, so I believe it is time for nitpicking the minor details that make for more refined flies. I hope you don't mind.

I'll start with the topping. Your prep work is very good, but I think the curve is a little too pronounced. Something closer to riding along the top of the wing would be ideal. A bit more of a curve to the wing would help to coordinate with the topping. Finally...try to get that same cascade effect in the tail as well. The two similar looking feathers help with the complete look of the finished fly.

Well done to this point...well done indeed.

@SalarMan, mind? Not at all. Your advice, knowledge and "nitpicking" are always welcome and taken in the spirit given.  I'll do my best to incorporate the points you brought up in my next rendition.  And thank you for the "well done". This last one took the longest by far to tie. The more I get into this the more I notice the details that need to be adjusted, tweaked and just done over until I feel it's good.  That tells me I'm way more into the marathon rather than the sprint mindset.  Slowly but surely....

[Bruce Derington 0]

Glad to see this kind of commitment, I’m afraid you have gone to the dark side though :). So now Toppings and tails can be added to the list of materials that can Be a bugaboo . Some will strip all the crest and siak in warm water with a little  of woolite fabric softener. Followed by round and or flat glass. Years ago I sat in on a Schmookler  presentation on how to prepare crests , by using a sheet of cardboard and an iron with steam feature. he would lay the crest on cardboard and start by holding By base of feather parallel to and  Slightly above cardboard. Then simply lower until just the tip of feather is touching, followed by lightly Pulling the base, this “opens “ the crest , then give it a hot iron and a quick steam, must be careful but he was adamant that once you “set it” it shall hold . This allows you to alter 

 

[Sandan 0]

2 hours ago, Bruce Derington said:

Glad to see this kind of commitment, I’m afraid you have gone to the dark side though :). So now Toppings and tails can be added to the list of materials that can Be a bugaboo . Some will strip all the crest and disk in warm water with a shit of woolite fabric softener. Years ago I sat in on a Schmookler  presentation on how to prepare crests , by using a sheet of cardboard and an iron with steam feature. he would lay the crest on cardboard and start by holding By base of feather parallel to and  Slightly above cardboard. Then simply lower until just the tip of feather is touching, followed by lightly Pulling the base, this “opens “ the crest , then give it a hot iron and a quick steam, must be careful but he was adamant that once you “set it” it shall hold . This allows you to alter 

Bruce, thanks for that technique. I used SalarMan's soak and dry on a piece of glass for the last one. I'll give the iron a shot too. The dark side for sure. The more I work on these the more addicted I get. I do think I'll work on another pattern though, just to keep things fresh. 

[SalarMan 0]

Interesting...I just may have to give this a go. I will add when I do the soak, shape and dry thing on a flat piece of Plexiglas I do 2 or 3 dozen at a time. so I always have what I need on hand a ready to go.

[SalarMan 0]

On 12/31/2020 at 3:30 PM, Sandan said:

Dec 31,2020. Last Snowie's #2 for the year. As always comments, criticism, advice and knowledge are welcome. 

One thing more my friend. We discussed adding some shape/curvature to the wing. After a bit of a hiatus, I started a  new fly the other day...a "Torrish". It calls for a White Tipped Turkey underwing. I do not wish to steal any of the fire from your post, but I decided to attach a quick hand held photo of that underwing to illustrate how the tip if the feather should as closely as possible match the curve of the tail. I will also try to achieve the same shape with the main wing. The fly is still in need of a little preening, but I hope this helps you to envision in your minds eye what you are trying to achieve.

George

[Sandan 0]

1 minute ago, SalarMan said:

One thing more my friend. We discussed adding some shape/curvature to the wing. After a bit of a hiatus, I started a  new fly the other day...a "Torrish". It calls for a White Tipped Turkey underwing. I do not wish to steal any of the fire from your post, but I decided to attach a quick hand held photo of that underwing to illustrate how the tip if the feather should as closely as possible match the curve of the tail. I will also try to achieve the same shape with the main wing. The fly is still in need of a little preening, but I hope this helps you to envision in your minds eye what you are trying to achieve.

George

A picture with an explanation is worth 10,000 words. I completely understand what you mean. And the topping is going to follow the curvature of dark part of the underwing? Well the main wing but since that's not there yet I'm making a comparison

[SalarMan 0]

7 minutes ago, Sandan said:

A picture with an explanation is worth 10,000 words. I completely understand what you mean. And the topping is going to follow the curvature of dark part of the underwing? Well the main wing but since that's not there yet I'm making a comparison

Yes...that is the plan. I happen to be one of those who prefers my wings lower over the body. There are others who prefer their wings set higher simply because that works for them. I'd suggest Googling "Torrish Salmon Fly", then clicking on images for Torrish Salmon fly. You will find all manner of shapes and variations by tyers from all over the place. I also do this for almost any and every fly I plan to tie. Just helps me understand what I may be trying to achieve  on any given day.

I was on the phone for a while with John McLain last weekend, and I told him about our working together via the internet. He suggested I let you know there are quite a few tyers of classics in your state of Colorado. My thoughts for you are to do the following...Go to your favorite fly shop and ask about others who tie classic salmon flies as well as ask about the possibility of any tying clubs in your area which just might help you connect with fellow classic salmon fly tyers. We are few and far between...but it is worth a shot.

[Sandan 0]

1 hour ago, SalarMan said:

Yes...that is the plan. I happen to be one of those who prefers my wings lower over the body. There are others who prefer their wings set higher simply because that works for them. I'd suggest Googling "Torrish Salmon Fly", then clicking on images for Torrish Salmon fly. You will find all manner of shapes and variations by tyers from all over the place. I also do this for almost any and every fly I plan to tie. Just helps me understand what I may be trying to achieve  on any given day.

I was on the phone for a while with John McLain last weekend, and I told him about our working together via the internet. He suggested I let you know there are quite a few tyers of classics in your state of Colorado. My thoughts for you are to do the following...Go to your favorite fly shop and ask about others who tie classic salmon flies as well as ask about the possibility of any tying clubs in your area which just might help you connect with fellow classic salmon fly tyers. We are few and far between...but it is worth a shot.

I think I'm figuring it out. Slowly. I had no idea there were classic salmon fly tiers here in CO, but I can't say I'm surprised. Next time I go to the local shop, Saturday, I'll def ask around. As always thank you so much

[Sandan 0]

Not a "classic" per se because it's not any recognizable pattern but rather something I tied trying to incorporate all the various bits of knowledge imparted to me here. As always comments, criticism, advice, knowledge are more than welcome. 

[SalarMan 0]

It does take time to make things right. Case in point...the fly you see here had reached that moment when all that was needed was the topping and the horns. I sat and looked at it with a serious critical eye and realized I had become a fumbled finger twit. The wing was a mess. So...I simply removed it and will begin again over the weekend trying to improve on what I had just screwed up. No matter how long you do this there will always be those moments🤪

How have you made out looking for fellow classic tyers in your area?

[cphubert 0]

On 1/8/2021 at 10:27 AM, Sandan said:

Not a "classic" per se because it's not any recognizable pattern but rather something I tied trying to incorporate all the various bits of knowledge imparted to me here. As always comments, criticism, advice, knowledge are more than welcome. 

Sandan that's a pretty little fly maybe not a classic listed pattern but certainly a classic style. The only thing I might change is gap between the wing and the toping to have the topping closer to the wing, but that is only my eye. I think that is a very well tied a keeper for sure.

[Sandan 0]

21 minutes ago, cphubert said:

Sandan that's a pretty little fly maybe not a classic listed pattern but certainly a classic style. The only thing I might change is gap between the wing and the toping to have the topping closer to the wing, but that is only my eye. I think that is a very well tied a keeper for sure.

@cphubert Thank you. I agree with the topping being to far away from the wing and not really matching the wing's flow. I thought I had it right, but.... Manipulating the GP crests to get the right shape to match the wing better is a work in progress.