Humpy Wing Proportions - How to get it right?

[vb1971 0]

Hi Everyone,

When tying humpies I measure the elk hair so it is the length of the eye to the back of the tail. When I finally tie in the over wing and pull back the wings to separate them I find that I cant seem to get a uniform wing height. I do try to get my tail lengths correct but still I don't seem to get the wings consistent.

 

Any advice on how you best think humpy proportions should be determined?

 

Cheers

VB1971

[Piker20 0]

Don't cut your hair short until after you've pulled it over. So stack your hair and trim so butts are level. Tie in tail length you want then pull over and tie down and trim butts in final position.

[Crackaig 0]

The method I use to get proportions consistent on any fly is to make a "size card". You need a small slip of card 2 to 3 inches long by 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. The first thing to do is write the name of the fly, hook size and model down the centre.

 

Presuming I was to tie your Humpy on a size 12 with a dubbed body (I know you can use floss but for the purpose of this explanation a dubbed body works better, you use whatever you like).

 

The first thing I would do is select a hackle of the right size using the hook. Then measure the hackle barb length against the edge of the card. and mark that on the card, Label it "Hack" (You don't have much room so abbreviate the names). Set the hackle to one side.

Then start to tie the fly. Run the thread down the body and tie in the tail. Stack it, and take your time to get the length just how you want it. Now Measure the tail length from the last turn of thread to the very tip against the edge of the card from the corner of the card and mark the length of the tail along the edge. Label this "Tail" or Tail Length.

Now look at the hook and decide how long you want the body to be. Mark this from another corner of the card and label it "Body".

 

The back and wings are you need something else to measure the size of the hackle gauge you already marked on the card. Add this to the body length and add a little extra and mark this "Back" How much you add is about 1/6inch to cover the extra you will need to go over the body (less if you use floss as it will be slimmer), add any distance from the end of the body to where the wing is going to be stood up, and the height above the hackle you want the wing to be. Tie in the back to the length you have marked on the card. It ill be much longer than the tail, so you will not have a problem mixing up the two bunches. It may take you a few attempts to get this just right. Using a pencil rather than a pen is sensible in order to make adjustments.

Dub the body and wind it to the length you marked on the card. Once you have it right unwind it. Measure the length of dubbed thread against one edge of the card label this "Dub". Re wind the dubbed body.

Now you can finish the fly. When you start the next one use the measurements you have on the card at each stage. It is a good idea when you have the card exactly as you want it to cover it with some clear self adhesive tape to protect it. I keep the cards in bulldog clips by fly type, wet, dry etc.

This way when a customer comes back to me after a gap of several months for more of "that fly you tied me last year" I can tie it to the same proportions.

 

This is one way to get consistency. It is a lot of trouble to go to but worth it if you are doing a lot of a fly. Sorry about the quality of the fly in the photos it was rather a rush job.

 

Cheers,

C.

[flytire 0]

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=143

[Gene L 0]

Here you go:

[SilverCreek 0]

Hi Everyone,

When tying humpies I measure the elk hair so it is the length of the eye to the back of the tail. When I finally tie in the over wing and pull back the wings to separate them I find that I cant seem to get a uniform wing height. I do try to get my tail lengths correct but still I don't seem to get the wings consistent.

 

Any advice on how you best think humpy proportions should be determined?

 

Cheers

VB1971

 

 

I happen to have the answer to this.

Many, many years ago, Fly Fisherman Magazine published as short article on the Humpy.

The best fly tier for the Humpy is Kathy Buchner, the wife of Jay Buchner. Jay ran a fly shop in Jackson Hole, Wy for 35 years and fished for Team USA in international competition.

The key to getting the wing exactly right is to tie the tail in first exactly the right length and then to measure the hair for the wing against the fly so it is the same length as the hook eye to end of tail.

This method is in Skip Morris's book, The Art of Tying the Dry Fly

The directions are reproduced here:

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw/120699fotw.php

Kathy's method is much, much superior to Charlie Craven's method which required tieing the hair wings in separately and then tying in the hair for the overback seperately. Kathy makes the overback and wing from the same clump of hair.

[whatfly 0]

As Crackaig and Silvercreek point out, it is all a matter of precision. If you get the proportions right, it will come out fine each time, but if your tail is the wrong length, than the wing is unlikely to come out correctly. The "cheater" method works fine and allows one to crank out a better proportioned fly without a LOT of practice, but the traditional method is a much faster tie once you develop a proper eye for proportions.

 

Some just give up on the challenge of this tie, and use a strip of foam for the back instead, which something else to consider.

[flytire 0]

silver

 

Charlie ties it both ways and the tutorials are on his website

 

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=30

[johnnyquahog 0]

I may be misreading the OP's issue " I find that I cant seem to get a uniform wing height". I read it to mean that the tips are not consistent, thus at the same height. In other words he starts out with all the tips even and by the time he divides and secures the wings the tips are no longer even. I'm guessing he understands the rule of thumb. (Is it rules of thumb or rule of thumbs?) If that is the case then it is a matter of handling the hair in a manner that the tips always stay aligned. Since I'm the only one reading it differently I'm probably all wet anyhow.

[flytire 0]

but his question in the last sentence is about proportions not whether hair tips are even? or maybe the wings after they are separated are not equal?

 

"any advice on how you best think humpy proportions should be determined?"

 

only the original poster knows for sure. hope he comes back to explain

[SilverCreek 0]

silver

 

Charlie ties it both ways and the tutorials are on his website

 

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=30

 

 

Thanks Flytire. I checked the first one you suggested and noticed that he used 2 clumps of hair.

[vb1971 0]

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the assistance. Indeed I was referring to wing height and not the hair tips.

 

Now back to the bench to tie the perfect humpy

 

Cheers

[Jaydub 0]

For the wing:

Stack your hair.

Trim the butts so the hair length is from behind the eye to the tips of the tail.

Tie it in with the butts at the center of the hook shank.

 

As seen here:

 

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/122704fotw.php

[ibookje 0]

Well, I'll drop a little bomb here

 

Humpy is one of those flies which is all about proportions. I've been tying Humpies for about 20 years and I've come to believe that the Humpy looks 'better' if it's tied on hook with a slightly shorter shank than a regular dry fly hook (for example TMC 100). This can be a weird discussion since a 'shorter hook' depends on what makes it 'shorter'?… The proportions of a shorter shank hook depends on the balance between shank length and the hook gap.

 

I have tried many different shorter hooks, like the Partridge Captain Hamilton L3A. However the gap was just too large for me. I also tried a more contemporary hook like the TMC 102Y (like Hans Weilenmann used above) which also has in my view too much a gap. I also prefer the classic Perfect bend than the Limerick bend.

 

So, after many experiments I came with a simple solution: tie the tail slightly 'earlier' at the hook shank rather than near the hook bend. Tying the Humpy on this 'shorter' shank makes the fly look much better in proportion: how the amount of material that tail, body and hackle fill up the whole silhouette.

 

I prefer to measure the length of the hair needed twice by measuring the hook shank. The first time measurement I 'pinch' the hair with my nails a bit so it leaves a mark in the hair. This mark lets me know how much body should be tied on the hook to make sure I have enough length for the wing.

 

 

[johnnyquahog 0]

Ibookje - outstanding!