[Hamish Young]

I suspect it's boredom..... but maybe it's a yearning for the start of the Salmon season. More probably it's just SAD Seasonal Affected Disorder....... but as this time of the year I have a hankering to tie BIG Salmon flies.

I've been thinking about the Frodin 'Octopussy' style flies and spey plumes and, well, you get the idea.
After a glass of something non-wine related (but suitably invigorating) I came up with this as a prototype partly of things to come but mostly to get a 'handle' on using spey plumes.

It's pretty rough, I've not tied for months and months, but I love those plumes Has anyone else done much with them on the forum I just love the way the fly appears to 'flow' using the plumes.

More later - maybe. Currently I am having thoughts about 3 inch copper tubes and zonker strips........

H

[Mike Barrio]

Looks interesting

Cheers
Mike

[Sandy Nelson]

Looks interesting

I concur, is it marabou? or ostrich or something else?
The fly looks lovely, although i'm not so sure about the blue, but then what do i know

Sandy

[Ben Dixon]

Nice fly but you need to drop blue thing mate 

See how it swims before you knock up any more dude, it's expensive shit and the stuff may not do exactly what you intend or hope it might in the water.  I think the material needs either careful support or one of the domed washer things on the front to stop it just going dead in a flow, not particularly see through unless you strip half the feather before winding.  That said, I'm not really very practiced at that style of fly nor would I say I could tie them very well.

Cheers

Ben

[Hamish Young]

The Spey plumes are from Hareline, essentially small high quality small ostrich feathers http://hareline.com/sp.html
I'm really liking Hareline products, as mine recedes theirs become more interesting to me......

I like the blue thing  But I appreciate it's not everyone's cup of earl grey.

The photo doesn't show the tying very well but the plumes are slightly supported from behind with Black UV straggle fritz, also the head has been sealed with superglue which I intentionally worked into the front plume to give some support but yes, a swim is needed to see how it looks as they aren't exactly cheap
H 

[Matt Henderson]

Very nice H. And please tell the grumpy old men that blue is the new jungle cock!

See I think that in high water if you have a reasonably heavy fly off a fast sinking line then something like the fly you tied would be nice and visible. I've got a few of the turbo cone things and they move really nicely in the water but don't add much weight.

Cheers Matt

[Marc Fauvet]

as mine recedes theirs become more interesting to me......

     

[Allan Liddle]

Like it H, but maybe you should've used dyed blue Guinea Fowl at the heid???? 

[Hamish Young]

Like it H, but maybe you should've used dyed blue Guinea Fowl at the heid???? 

Smirk 

H

[Allan Liddle]

Hee hee 

[Barry Robertson]

I am guessing you didn't like my comment??

[Hamish Young]

I am guessing you didn't like my comment??

What comment was that  ???

H

[Mike Barrio]

I am guessing you didn't like my comment??

Hi Baz

I can't see any signs of moderation, so I've no idea what's happened if you've lost a post, sorry.

Please post again!

Cheers
Mike

[Eddie Sinclair]

H,
regardless of the blue debate and whether it needs a bit more support for the hackles or not. If you are happy with it and fish it with confidence then ultimately the salmon will be the true judge of what makes a successful fly as always.

I can understand some of the comments but it is not up to us. Throw it in a river with some willing participants and see what happens.

Eddie.

[Hamish Young]

Currently I am having thoughts about 3 inch copper tubes and zonker strips........

I have produced something which is currently sitting in my vice. It is fugly, bloody fugly. I love it. All orange and yellow and gold and dangerous looking 

Throw it in a river with some willing participants and see what happens.

Aye, that's the rub Eddie I'm working on the idea of a few spring days before things get 'busy' in late May.
Hopefully I'll have the chance to chuck some of the ironmongery around where there are actually fish

H

[Hamish Young]

I pussied out on the idea of a 3" copper tube and went with 1.25" instead.

It is fugly and clearly I need to tie more flies to get my eye in again, but I like it and it settles something that's been bugging me for a while..... time to use more zonker strip in my Salmon flies 

H

[Eddie Sinclair]

H,
that is indeed Fugly, however I am inclined to invite you to my February week on the Dee just for shits and giggles. it might be my last for a while as I have been offered a post overseas so it would be fun to see if this works.

I will PM you with the dates.

Eddie.

[Barry Robertson]

That looks braw for the rainbows!!

[Hamish Young]

Thanks Eddie, I'll be in touch 

Baz - aye,  that's kind of the history of that pattern. Long long time ago I tied up (amongst many other things) some matuka plastic tubes for a family friend who went Sea Trout hunting in the Falklands. The pattern above is a kind of a derivative of that but tied with the materials I wish I had at my disposal then, I'm kind of scratching a fly tying itch that's been bugging me for .....errr..... 20+ years.

I like the idea of zonker/matuka flies for Salmon fishing. Partly for mobility, partly for size and partly just for the hell of it.
Wet rabbit will be a pig to cast but I have to give it a go. As I recall Ken Sawada had plenty of matuka style tube patterns which I'll look up and (for shits and giggles) I'll adapt some 'traditional' tubes into a zonker/matuka style. Because I can and it's fun

H 

[Ben Dixon]

H,

Save that thing for the next time you are out in the boat 

Some of the Scandi's and Yanks have been using rabbit strip on salmon flies for a while.  I saw a lot of flies a few years back there were just a short strip of rabbit behind a cone, simple but seemingly very effective.  Fulling Mill catalogue is full of rabbit strip flies at the moment, some of them are quite nice.

I think you have some of that Finn Racoon strip?  I had always intended to wind some of that stuff as a hackle in a split thread but have not got around to it as yet.  Welsh Lee has some nice pike flies hackled with that stuff.

Cheers

Ben

[Hamish Young]

Now you come to mention it I think I do have some of that Finn Racoon stuff somewhere, R has been 'tidying' again  I'll have a look.
Ultimately, I want a Rapala tied as a fly 

H

[Duncan Inglis]

If you think about it the original Monkey wing was tied using part of the "skin" - not far away from a zonker strip.

[Rob Brownfield]

Ultimately, I want a Rapala tied as a fly 

Done..and easy! Use EP fibre on a plastic tube. Dress slightly wider than you want, then pour boiling water over it. This "slims" the fly down and also "sets" the fibres into a typical rapala minnow shape. Add Angel hair under the Ep for flash.

If you really want to go overboard, you can incorporate a plastic diving vane, but I have not tried that as I think the fly works great on a sinking line as it is. Add one of those reverse cone plastic things and the fly has the classic rapala wobble.

Hope to try them for Salmon in the spring

[Rob Brownfield]

I think you have some of that Finn Racoon strip?  I had always intended to wind some of that stuff as a hackle in a split thread but have not got around to it as yet. 

Classic Pike fly technique. Wind on as a supporting hackle for other materials such as ostrich, then use to create a head.

One of Simon Grahams amazing flies. Loads of bulk and movement. Normally dressed on a tube and rigged with a single, small hook that is set up a bit like a stinger hook towards teh rear of the fly.

[Hamish Young]

Interesting looking pattern that.
As it happens I have been experimenting with zonker strip wound as a body hackle...... and I like it.
More on these freakish creations later, but lets say they scare me witless

H