It is mid-February and most of us are looking forward to the spring when we can wet our waders and cast a few of the winter creations from our vise. But mid-winter is the best time for making flies. My family has moved to Montreal and my tying bench is more-or-less ready to use. So I think its time to host my first swap of 2012! Last year's Evolution swap was an outstanding success and several participants were daft enough to ask for another. So here it is:
THE SECOND ANNUAL EVOLUTION SWAP IS FULL
This is an odd idea I had- somewhat related to that game where you whisper something in someone's ear and they whisper to the next person and so on and so on and then you compare the beginning idea with the final idea. It would work like this: The first tyer invents a fly and posts the recipe (not the fly, just the recipe) here. The second tyer changes one element of the recipe to create a new fly. (For example, he might change the body or the hackle or the wing, or... You get the idea.) Each participant has 48 hours to think about his fly and post his pattern for the next tyer. Each participant then tyes up and sends a dozen of his particular variation to the swapmeister who mounts them in order from first to last so each participant gets an evolutionary series. Sort of like the picture we've all seen of the ape standing next to a slightly more erect apeman and so on, each a little more erect and taller until the last one is a man standing in a seersucker suit, carrying a suitcase. (Or did it go in the other direction?)
I welcome international members and will cast the deadline as far as I can- how about April 1? (Although I think we could finish much earlier.) I will take the first eleven who reply with "I'm in."
To summarize: Each tyer (except the first) modifies one element of the recipe sent to him and sends his new recipe (and the fly's name) to the next tyer in the queue. Your modification can be a change in colour, material, or the addition or subtraction of a material. You don't need to preserve the form of the previous pattern- feel free to transform the fly's stage (nymph, larva, pupa, emerger, adult) or even family (Trichoptera, Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Diptera,...) To make it more interesting, each tyer will give his creation a name based (however loosely or tangentially) on the previous fly's name.
Additional Notes
Reasonable substitutions are permitted. (For example, if a body of muskrat is called for, any grey dubbing would be fine. A wing of white bucktail could be substituted with calftail, polar bear, rabbit fur,... You get the idea.)
In addition to your one major change you may, if you want, change the hook style and/or the size of the fly by one hook size (ie: #10 to #12 or #8.)
Please post your recipes here and give us the name of your creation when you pass that info on to the next in line.
Note the following DO NOTs:
1) DO NOT toe-tag your flies.
2) DO NOT include a return envelope as I will probably send your swap sets back to you in a small box. I will, however, need your real name and return address (preferably neatly printed and ready to tape to your package.) Since I can't predict what the return postage will be you can do one of the following:
Send me a couple of dollars (more-or-less equivalent to what you need to mail your flies.)
Send me a couple of your hand-tyed flies; Or a couple of hooks, or material*, or... whatever you think fair. Or you can wait to receive your swap set and either mail me or PayPal me the postage
*Material I could use include:
- Pheasant rump feathers, (natural or dyed-yellow) for some Carey Specials and SixPacks I want to tye.
- tan 8/0 Uni- mahogany-brown dubbing (preferably rabbit.)
- Mustad 9671 #18
- Partridge 15BN #12, 10
I will take the first 11 members with an "I'm in." Your place in the evolutionary series will be determined by your place in the following list:
1) rockworm (swapmeister) pattern posted Feb 7 11:22 AM flies ready
.2) fishingbobnelson pattern posted Feb 8 12:23 PM address sent flies received EvoSet 18/04
.3) cencalfly pattern posted Feb 9 1:18 AM flies in the mail EvoSet 21/04
.4) sjo pattern posted Feb 9 6:42 AM address sent flies received
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5) riffleriversteelheadslayer pattern posted Feb 10 6:27 PM address sent flies received EvoSet 18/04
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6) professori pattern posted Feb 11 12:49 AM address sent flies received EvoSet23/04
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7) Desod pattern posted Feb 12 12:37 PM flies received EvoSet 18/04
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8) BBBruce77 pattern posted Feb13 7:38 PM address sent flies received EvoSet 18/04
.9) Horseshoes pattern posted Feb 14 6:06 PM address sent flies received EvoSet 24/04
10) bluegill576 pattern posted Feb 14 6:46 PM dropped out 2 days after deadline!
.11) FrequentTyer pattern posted Feb 14 10:15 PM address sent flies received EvoSet 19/04
.12) gpd4 pattern posted Feb 16 9:25 AM flies received EvoSet 23/04
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alternate) sukhoidave
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