[Iain Goolager]

Found myself in a little new territory yesterday, tying Salmon doubles in small sizes (13's)
I have Schlappen & patches of Chinese Hen which cater for my typical larger tubes (& Salar doubles in size 7 as I discovered yesterday) but I'm looking for advice on a cape/s for tying over the 7 to 13 range of doubles - nothing too fancy as I'd need at least 4 colours of cape.

Also, I tied in a double hackle (orange & yellow) for the first time yesterday - turned out cool, is this the typical method? previously I'd wrap them individualy.

Liking tying Salmon doubles 

Iain

[Peter McCallum]

spick aboot a tackul tart

[Barry Robertson]

Hi Iain

Don't know much about Capes & Salmon Doubles



But I know someone who has a few Capes...I found another 6
after I took this photo

Alex

Guess who ties shed loads of lures, Mr Grizzle cape eat yer heart out!

[Euan Innes]

Iain
Wee salmon doubles, imvho, need to be sparse, almost anorexic.
I like them with squirrel wings, dyed, and I've got away with trout capes for hackles.
Small doubles need to "work" in the water and little fatties on light nylon don't really do that. My best pattern is a wingless Greenwell, more like a spider than a salmon double. My other favourite is a wee treble, but can be a double, in silver or gold with a sparse black wing. Definitely less is more. Think what tackle you will attach them to and go from there. A #7 or #8 line with 6-8lb nylon (or less if you're nuts like me)will make the fly swim much more attractively. My most memorable salmon was on an 11' #5 Clan trout rod on a #14 Greenwell spider, 5lb Drennan sub surface nylon!   At night!! 

On Stoats Tails etc I used to tie the "hackle" as a beard rather than a full wound hackle so keep everything slim.
As for colours, orange, black, blue and yellow are the basics - that will cover Allys shrimps, Stoats, Marys, shrimps and so on. Think also about how slender you can make the body - too much heavy salmon silk can swell a good fly into a right porker, as can thick oval tinsel etc. Partridge wee doubles were the knackers back in the day and I still have a shed load if I ever need them again.

No doubt some salmon angler will be along in a minute to rubbish my theories, but wtf, all that worked for me  

 

[Barry Robertson]

I do tie other things as well Baz...

I have quite a good supply of Goose Biots at the moment as well



Alex

Stop hijacking little Iains thread Alex   
You will have yer wanger out on that table next 

[Ben Dixon]

Iain,

I use Schlappen for the small stuff, works very well as the stem is fine and quite strong, tie in by the tip.  The chinese hen would probably do the same as long as it is not too high a quality.  I've some Keough hen saddles that are great for bigger stuff (down to #11's) but it is too dense for anything smaller, tends to zip up and the stem is a bit thick  Schlappen is the best so far for me, dyed Indian hen would probably be O.K too if you can get.  Will be passing Norris's in a few weeks, I'll have a look if you like.

Never tried tying in the orange and yellow together, how does it look?  Post a pic or better still, another one of your highly informative "how to" videos 


Ben

[Iain Goolager]

Managed a minute to tye one with both hackles tied & wound simultaneously. Maybe it's my tying or materials but this method seems to give a hackle that doesn't have a dominant colour as opposed to the 'layered' finish of an individualy tied pair, either way it looks ok to me.



Iain

[Ben Dixon]

I like that, well the hackle anyway 

Does it knock much off the tying time or make it easier to keep a small head on smaller flies?

What's with the wrong coloured body and wing fashioned from what looks to be genetic platinum grade paint brush hair?

Nice tag and hackle, bin the rest 


Ben

[Barry Robertson]

Nice looking flea Iain 
Be intresting to see that kind of hackling on likes of a bibio!

[jpm75]

That's a really, nicely tied fly. Tying both the head hackles in as one is a good technique but can be tricky sometimes. Nice one.
Regards John.

[Iain Goolager]

Ben,

What's with the wrong coloured body

I take it you are assuming you know which pattern of fly it's meant to be ...........perhaps it is a a variation on a theme?? 

and wing fashioned from what looks to be genetic platinum grade paint brush hair?

There is no wing on this fly therefore I can only summize that your hair has flopped down over your eyes when viewing the picture   

Don't know if it knocks much time off of MY tying but it defo seems to make for a neater head.

I bought some Guinea Fowl from Orvil when I was in on Monday and tyed another 'wrong coloured paintbrush fly' up with a dual hackle of said material and it has a splendid spidery mottled hackle which should flow nicely in the water. I will post that one tonight.

John & Basil,  thanks for the comments 

[Ben Dixon]

Ben,
 
There is no wing on this fly therefore I can only summize that your hair has flopped down over your eyes when viewing the picture   

What's with the black shit emerging from behind the nicely double wound hackle then?

Don't know if it knocks much time off of MY tying but it defo seems to make for a neater head.

Will give a shot, got some more to do tonight 

I bought some Guinea Fowl from Orvil when I was in on Monday and tyed another 'wrong coloured paintbrush fly' up with a dual hackle of said material and it has a splendid spidery mottled hackle which should flow nicely in the water. I will post that one tonight.

Look forward to analysing that one too 

[jpm75]

Hi Iain.
I use arctic fox or temple dog with a few stands of flash through it for the wing on my cascade. It gives it a little more movement in the water.
John

[Euan Innes]

Having little in the way of hair and having recently purchased new glasses, I too am wondering what's "with the black shit emerging from behind the nicely double wound hackle then?" 

Pretty fly Iain, but I'm pretty sure it'll skate on the surface with that much hackle. Have you tried it yet? The wee double hooks are not good for dragging a fly under.

I still like it though!

 

[Iain Goolager]

Ben,

........you are correct, there is of course a wing on the fly but by saying that there wasn't I was, through the medium of comedy, alluding to the fact that the 'paintbrush bristles' could have been purely from your perspective as your fringe may have hindered or misled your analysis of the photograph, but alas I failed    

The wing is from a hank of extra long arctic fox which may be fine for longer wing patterns but I have found it to be too sparse (and bristly Ben)if cut short for such a fly.

Iain

[Iain Goolager]

Euan,

Skating on the surface? are you on drugs man!? This will be presented on a short leader and sinking tip.

I'm scared to post anything else in case I break down with all the criticism

Mike - yellow card 'em!

Iain

[Euan Innes]

Fair point.
Never liked sinking tips, always thought they went in with too much of a splash.
Whatever sinks your fly dude! 

I just liked them slim and "fine and far off" and about 2 - 3" down. Let me know how you get on.

 

PS no drugs but I am thinking in investing in a vineyard....

[Irvine Ross]

Ben,

The wing is from a hank of extra long arctic fox which may be fine for longer wing patterns but I have found it to be too sparse (and bristly Ben)if cut short for such a fly.

Iain

Iain

Are you sure that's arctic fox? Looks more like goat hair to me

Irvine

[Mike Barrio]

That looks very nice to me Iain ...... I would certainly fish it with confidence

But I must confess that I like singles

Cheers
Mike

[Iain Goolager]

Thanks Mike 

Irvine,
It's defo extra long Arctic Fox


Guinea Fowl collar hackles - awfy spidery



Iain

[Iain Goolager]

Oh, and obviously I'm going to revert back to the standard length fox or templehund in future. I bought the extra long stuff from Cookshill at the game fair thinking it might come in handy with some longer tubes.

Iain

[Euan Innes]

Liking the guinea fowl 
Spidery is good!

 

[Irvine Ross]

Iain

OK. You're right and I'm wrong again.

I like the look of the Guinea fowl hackles

Irvine

[jpm75]

I like the guinea fowl. Haven't seen anything like that before. Nice Iain, very nice.
John

[Hamish Young]

Like Ian, I've used guinea fowl as a full (rather than false) hackle at the front of salmon flies in the past.
Nice looking flies those fella
I liked guinea fowl (on my shrimp flies and things like munros killer etc) and so did the fish but back then (errr..... late '80s and early '90s) finding really nice consistent (as in quality of dye/colour etc) quality guinea at my local shop and via mail order became a bit of an issue so I largely switched back to conventional hackles.

However, I can see the guinea fowl having something of a renaissance on my salmon flies next year as I've found a bag of mixed stuff in amongst my tying gear that's top quality - no idea where it came from, one of things I've picked up along the way and then forgotten about

Certainly when using sinking tips (polyleaders and such) I like a slightly heavier hackled fly, makes me fish with more confidence. Perhaps it's the 'loch style' built into me or maybe I just like disturbance patterns...... whatever.

I really must sort out a desk for my fly tying gear as 'she who must be obeyed' is getting a tad irritated by the spread of some of my tying gear on the kitchen table and is making noises about chucking stuff in the bin I've hardly tied a fly since moving to the new gaff a year ago, must make amends over the winter.
I might even re-stock and rearrange my boxes

H