odd color tying materials

[ryguyfi]

This morning I got one of those grab bag fly tying kits from cabela's. Not a bad deal for filling out some survey and getting 15 dollars free for cabela's, practically got it for free. However, which i figured was going to happen, about half of the stuff is just odd colored. You know all those orange, yellow, pink, green materials that are so bright you gotta put your polarized sunglasses on to prevent retina damage. Well just wondering what everyone else uses them for. Whether you substitute them for materials because of the bright colors, or if you stick to the realness of most flies. Just curious to see everyone elses opinions. Thanks again guys!

 

[jayL]

If you have some chartruse chenille, tie about 20 dozen green weenies in weighted, unweighted, beadhead, etc... This year, i'm going to tie them in parachute and see if that works!

Other than that, streamers and woolybuggers can come in about any color you want. Even if the trout don't eat it, I can't imagine a bass or bluegill would turn it down.

Is there any egg yarn? I never fish certain streams without at least a few egg patterns... it's saved me many times.

Also, tiny little midges can come in a wide variety of colors. go ahead and experiment with that.

 

[JackM]

I just ordered some flies for the Smokies trip I'm taking in the Spring. Last year, we encountered a pale sulfur or cahill that I thought has a slight "salmon" or "pink" cast to it. So while ordering flies, I selected a "Pink Albert" which from the picture seemed the right shade of pale pink. What I received was a catskill-style dry with a bright hot-pink/fuscia colored body. I have no idea what it supposed to look like, but I plan to try it out-- first on some dumb wild trout and then later on sophisticated stockies. In fact, I want to try to save one for Letort during a sulfur hatch.

 

[troutbert]

Some of the old traditional wetflies had a lot of bright colors and they are works of art. Check the link below for these flies tied by Don Bastian, from near Williamsport. Fantastic stuff!

http://www.rareandunusual.com/troutwetflies2.htm

You could try tyeing some of these beautiful old wetfly patterns. Or, you could buy a packet of black Rit dye, and just throw ALL those materials into an old kettle and dye it solid black. Black is a good color for catching fish.

Don't use your wife's good Caphalon kettle because the dye will make the kettle stained forever. You can use one of those big coffee cans right on the stovetop. It's simple. Just don't let it boil all over the stove.

 

[Maurice]

Ryguyfi

If you have the time, make a list of the materials and colors and maybe we can give you some suggestions on what to use them for. Just list them as material name and color...this could be fun.

Maurice

 

[ryguyfi]

I think i can do that. I'll do my best to describe them, or even post a picture of some. That rare and unusual page is awesome. I recently got a gift from a guy from my church, a wooden fly box with about 50 hand tied flies in them. It was just awesome! An old friend of his tied them and he doesnt fly fish anymore so he gave them to me. They were all very unusual to me and most of them were of unusal colors just like the wets on that link. I knew that they were a different generation of fly tiers and definetly appreciate them. They were just a different style of tying from what I have tied or seen from my store boughts. I can see some of the ones from that link that i could probably tie with my new materials. Thanks for all the help and i'll post some descriptions about the materials tomorrow!

 

[jayL]

Good idea maurice. I'm looking forward to this.

 

[troutbert]

That rare and unusual page is awesome. I recently got a gift from a guy from my church, a wooden fly box with about 50 hand tied flies in them. It was just awesome! An old friend of his tied them and he doesnt fly fish anymore so he gave them to me. They were all very unusual to me and most of them were of unusal colors just like the wets on that link. I knew that they were a different generation of fly tiers and definetly appreciate them. They were just a different style of tying from what I have tied or seen from my store boughts. I can see some of the ones from that link that i could probably tie with my new materials.

For anyone who likes these old wetflies here’s some more eye candy. I already posted the link to one of the pages of Don Bastian’s traditional wetflies.

http://www.rareandunusual.com/troutwetflies2.htm

But on the same site there’s also:

http://www.rareandunusual.com/troutwetflies.htm

and

http://www.rareandunusual.com/classic5.html

I’m not sure if that’s all of Don’s wet flies on this site or not, I don’t quite get the navigation on that site.

When I began fly fishing I tied and used some of the more plain colored traditional wets, especially the Leadwing Coachman and Hares Ear, and caught fish with them. I never tried the bright-colored ones much. But just the other day I talked to an older guy who grew up fishing traditional wets and said the bright-colored patterns like Parmachene Belle still work, especially for brook trout. Which is what they were originally tied for.

I plan to try some of these gaudy flies for brook trout this season. Should be fun. I really want to catch some brookies on a Parmachene Belle.

Don Bastian has a DVD out about tying these classic wet flies. You can find it by Googling around on the web.
Also, a lot of public libraries still probably have the old book Trout by Ray Bergman, which has color plates and dressings of these flies.

 

[tomgamber]

I'm not surprised jack, we had a great pink cahill hatch on teh south fork of hte boise. I thought they were pulling my leg until I actually got to experience it.

 

[ryguyfi]

OK here goes... Now mind you i'm no professional fly tier so if I get the name of the material wrong sorry. I decided to just post everything, the only things that were natural color, even though I still could be wrong, were the peacock and the goose biot. First picture, Dark green shiney hackle, cream goose biot and a chocolate brown peacock. Second and third, all hairs of some sort, the camera doesn't do justice, they are all alot brighter than the pics. Fourth, pink hackle and green yellow and orange mallard flank. Fifth, peacock, green pheasant tail and a redish brown hare's mask. And last but not least is all of those flies I was given. I've been thinking about it, and maybe I will make some parachutes and experiment with different color parachutes, or even just make a fly completely yellow or orange... In my olden days as a spincaster (yeah i meantioned it) yellow powerbait worked pretty well... maybe the attractor colors will work too... but who know's, i'm pretty green at this. Thanks for all your help guys!

 

[jayL]

I'll take a closer look later, but for now...............

Green pheasant tail nymphs!

 

[jayL]

Also... for the mallard:

I am ALWAYS looking for bright wing materials to make hi vis flies. in my experience on hackled patterns, you often don't even need the wings, which tells you how much the trout care about them. Keeping this in mind, it doesn't hurt too much to make some hi vis wings on a few select patterns.

 

[JackM]

Don't laugh, but I'd take those lime-green mallard feathers in picture 004 for my green drake pattern.

 

[tomgamber]

To me the pink stuff looks like marabou. Second one looks like squirrell and calf tails. Other hair is probably buck tail and deer body hair.

I see olive buggers, caddis pupa, prince nymphs and many, many clousers and saltwater deceivers. That box of bugs might be good for bluegills to keep you from destroying all your good flies. all in all i'd say that was a pretty good haul for free.

 

[troutbert]

You don't need that Hares Ear mask. Everyone uses dubbing blends these days. (You can send it me, I'll take it off your hands. )

 

[Maurice]

troutbert wrote:
You don't need that Hares Ear mask. Everyone uses dubbing blends these days. (You can send it me, I'll take it off your hands. )

Translation....Chocolate hares ears rule!

Seriously, So far I agree with everything everyone has said. I believe the Peacock in the first pic is Ostrich Herl. Very fragile material used as the head on the Casual dress. Could also be used for lateral lines on hair flies (clousers, thunder creeks, bucktaols, etc.)

I also like Jacks and Jay's ideas for the hi vis wings on some of your mayflies. if ya don't liek the results of these flies, try dying them as troutbert said. Those bright colors dipped in a green rit dye could "dumb down" the visibility and make great flanks for grey ghost streamers or sculpin immitations.

The colorful hair/bucktail has to go the way of clousers and deceivers or Thundercreeks. Just put it between a white belly and a brown/green/black top and they could fit a numbers of attractor streamers. (mickey fins are not exactly earthtone streamers)

You have some neat stuff to put on a shelf or hang on a peg board so you don't forget about it but I wouldn't labor over trying to make it fit all your tying needs. Figure out the flies you want to tie for your style of fishing and buy those materails. Once you get a little more proficient with following patterns your memory will draw you to those obscure colors as good alternatives to the standard materails and colors.

You will find that the "neons" will work early in the season and during high water conditions fished in seams where the trouts take refuge fron the strong currents.

Have fun with them and good luck.

Thanks for posting the pics.

 

[ryguyfi]

Thanks for all the help guys! Last night had time to tie a few... tied a nice streamer and used the hares mask to dub for a caddis. I'm runnin out of hooks from my starter set. Guess thats a good thing untill I actually do run out. Well any more suggestions would be great but you guys have been awesome so far. Can't wait for this snow to break so I can try out my new creations!

 

[tomgamber]

That ostrich herl makes great heads on caddis larva.. Just few turns behind the the head. With a hares ear body and a little green or cream dubbing behind the herl.

 

[ryguyfi]

I would love to tie some caddis larva for my local streams. I found this pic and brief description of how to tie one, but frankly it looks a little too complicated for me yet. If anyone could give me an easier description and maybe a pic of how to tie one... be mindfull i'm still new at this and have limited resources.

http://flytyingforum.com/index.php?act=flyshow&showid=3980

 

[tomgamber]

http://www.familytyes.com/artman/publish/article_16.shtml

try this one...just use the ostrich instead fo the black dubbing in the recipe. BTW I couln't open your other link.