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Green Highlander- #3/0

2014.11.25.dryfly.me.gh

Hook: Partridge Bartleet Blind-Eye #3/0
Thread: UNI 17/0 Trico White, Sheer 14/0 Black
Tag: Lagartun Oval X-Strong Fine French Tinsel, Lagartun French Silk Floss
Tail: GP topping, Wood Duck
Butt: Black Ostrich
Body: Lagartun French Silk Floss, Seals fur Green Highlander
Rib: Lagartun French Tinsel
Hackle: Green Highlander Cock Saddle
Underwing: GP tippet
Wing: Dyed Turkey Yellow/Orange/Green, Wood Duck, Mallard Duck
Throat: Rooster Neck Yellow
Cheek: Red Crow Substitute

This one has been a long time in the making: I started last year with some married wings but it went on and off for a while and I didn’t have material that I needed for this pattern. I still don’t have everything I would like to have: the wing should have some GP/Bustard/Mottled turkey, a good JC and horns. But: step by step I’ll add more to this pattern, this time it was all about getting the 18 strands of wing to stay together and tie them in without the fibers going in every direction, and I did! Next time I’ll increase the wing to 21/24 strands and manage to tie that in properly, but I don’t mind doing more variants on this pattern (as long as I get some more silk gut soon….).

There are some adjustments on this (there always is!), but the parts I’m happy with on this fly: the GP that meets up in the back, the GP underwing that aligns (and the fact that I figured out how to do it), the fact that the wing stayed in one place when I tied it in (“Tying the classic salmon fly” helped me out there) and the mallard duck roof.

I’m also quite happy with the start of the fly: the silk was nice and (almost) even, together with the tinsel it was a good starting point:

2014.11.25.dryfly.me.gh_tail

The underbody of white UNI-Floss before I started to add silk and seals fur. This makes for a better profile on the final fly:

2014.11.25.dryfly.me.gh_body

Up until this point the fly is flowing nicely: the hackle could be better and the yellow throat should be thicker:

2014.11.25.dryfly.me.gh_body_done

The colors of the green highlander is what pulled me in the first time:

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Rear-view of the green highlander:

2014.11.25.dryfly.me.gh_rear

The topping is forming a nice veil on top of the fly and packs it in:

2014.11.25.dryfly.me.gh_front

 

If I were to save one fly I have ever created it must be this! I know that if I come back to this in a couple of years time I will find a lot of things to point out, but this is the process: tie up, learn, repeat. And for me part of that process is to put these patterns out here, together with a macro shot that shows all the little flaws it have, but that is one of the things that drive me to become better!

To give you a idea of how big this fly is:

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#26 Parachute

dryfly.me.2014.04.17.parachute_swapHook: Gamakatsu: C12-BM #26
Thread: UNI Trico 17/0
Body: Hends Superfine
Thorax: Fly-Rite Extra Fine Poly Rust
Wing: Wapsi Polypropylene, Whiting Hackle

Another one for a swap targeting Caenis. This time a parachute emerger  on one of my favorite tiny hooks: the gamakatsu C12-BM, great big eye that really helps when tying it on a 7x tippet.

 

dryfly.me.2014.04.17.parachute_swap_finger

 

Tiny: Spent Caenis #30

dryfly.me.2014.03.11.caenis_30

Hook: TMC 518 #30
Thread: UNI Trico 17/0
Rib: Sheer 14/0
Wing: Wapsi Sparkle Organza
Thorax: Fly-Rite Extra Fine Poly Rust

Tying up for a caenis swap with a spent #30 – trying to incorporate  tail, rib, wing and dubbing on a hook this small is a challenge that you should undertake from time to time. This will really get your thread-control skills up a couple of levels

dryfly.me.2014.03.11.caenis_family