An Alternative to An Expensive Traditional Tying Material

[Tups]

What this forum needs is a dedicated soft hackle thread, and a few more photos. Here are ten of the Ephemera silk colors. They are a close second to the Pearsall’s silks.

As MT and others have pointed out, just about any fine thread will work for these flies. The keys are sparseness, delicacy, and a soft game bird hackle. And a good presentation of course.

 

[tomgamber]

There are several on here that will talk at length on that

 

[TimMurphy]

There are several on here that will talk at length on that

Dear tom,

Meanwhile I tie soft hackles with floss and do just fine. I can't be bothered perfecting a simple fly. I'm still searching for the properly urine-stained fox belly for my Light Hendrickson's. I even bought a fox skin and peed on it. It didn't work out so well! 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[mt_flyfisher]

What this forum needs is a dedicated soft hackle thread, and a few more photos. Here are ten of the Ephemera silk colors. They are a close second to the Pearsall’s silks.

As MT and others have pointed out, just about any fine thread will work for these flies. The keys are sparseness, delicacy, and a soft game bird hackle. And a good presentation of course.

View attachment 1641238816

A guy that I know tied this nice fly. 😃 The body looks like a real close match to your Ephemera 625 Orange, as well as to Pearsall’s orange.

I see Ephemera silk on sells on EBay for under $5.00 a spool, plus shipping, so that’s a lot better price than Pearsall’s.

I love the hackle on that fly. It just begs a trout to “eat me”.

 

[goose54cdd]

I have all of the materials to tie soft hackles and I live tying them. I'm 70 and I still want to learn how to fish them other than as a dropper to a nymph or dry fly. I never learned how to fish wet flies in the traditional manner.

A soft hackle thread on this forum would be nice.

 

[tomgamber]

A soft hackle thread on this forum would be nice.

 

[lestrout]

Dear tom,

Meanwhile I tie soft hackles with floss and do just fine. I can't be bothered perfecting a simple fly. I'm still searching for the properly urine-stained fox belly for my Light Hendrickson's. I even bought a fox skin and peed on it. It didn't work out so well! 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

Yo Tim - the pink, urine-burned fox fur has to be from a vixen. Under the arm/legpits can work too.

 

[TimMurphy]

Yo Tim - the pink, urine-burned fox fur has to be from a vixen. Under the arm/legpits can work too.

Yo Les,

I gave up and just bought Hendrickson #27 Fly-Rite dubbing. It works for me!

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[Tups]

MT: I think I know the guy who tied that fly. It’s a useful pattern known as the Light Spanish Needle or Brown Owl. These are two 19th century Yorkshire patterns so similar, one to the other, that they might as well be the same pattern.

T. E. Pritt in his book, North Country Flies (1886), calls for a hackle from a brown owl. Below is a photo of an owl feather ( not my pic).

I have no owl feathers handy so I substitute a ruffed grouse feather which, like owl, is very soft. Pic below.

A guy that I know tied this nice fly. 😃 The body looks like a real close match to your Ephemera 625 Orange, as well as to Pearsall’s orange.

I see Ephemera silk on sells on EBay for under $5.00 a spool, plus shipping, so that’s a lot better price than Pearsall’s.

View attachment 1641238818

I love the hackle on that fly. It just begs a trout to “eat me”.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

MT: I think I know the guy who tied that fly. It’s a useful pattern known as the Light Spanish Needle or Brown Owl. These are two 19th century Yorkshire patterns so similar, one to the other, that they might as well be the same pattern.

T. E. Pritt in his book, North Country Flies (1886), calls for a hackle from a brown owl. Below is a photo of an owl feather ( not my pic).

View attachment 1641238829

I have no owl feathers handy so I substitute a ruffed grouse feather which, like owl, is very soft. Pic below.

View attachment 1641238830

I see that Tawny, or Brown Owls are protected in the UK now, as I believe owls are in the US in most situations. The picture of that owl feather sure looks appealing, and your grouse feathers looks nice too.

There were lots of owls where we stayed on the Yellowstone River in MT, and I often thought it might be nice to have an owl skin, but I never got one. Even when I saw dead owls along the highway from time to time I never stopped to pick up one (possession would probably be illegal too).

My friend took this pictures of one of our local MT residents.