F
Fishidiot
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2006
- Messages
- 9,960
Some years ago I went through a phase where I was enamored with classic style salmon flies and tied a fair number - some of which were decent, most were a far cry from what I saw in books and shows. Nevertheless, it was a fun aspect of fly tying that, I'm convinced, made me better at conventional flies. It also made tying fun as the hobby had gradually become a bit too much like maintenance, esp back in the days when I had a part time job tying flies for FFP and cranking out dozens of Muddlers, Hare's Ears etc. Decorative salmon flies were a challenging distraction but I still felt that the end products still were not up to standard. Eventually, it was explained to me that the key to a good salmon fly was mostly in getting the golden pheasant crest to lay over the fly correctly and in the right shape/proportion. The final fly was "good" if the pheasant crest overwing tip curved down and touched the tip of the upcurved tail. The tips needed to just touch, not overlap. The pheasant crest feathers I used were often warped and getting the tips to touch was frustrating. One of the salmon fly gurus at the Somerset show later taught me a trick to get the pheasant crests straight: soak 'em and then lay 'em out on a sheet of glass to dry. Once dried, they were straight. Once I had this trick mastered (you can also sandwich 'em in a book, just remember what page :-D ) my salmon flies started looking better. Eventually, I was proud enough of my salmon flies to frame a few for gifts, TU banquets etc. I even tied up some with metal posts that could function as hat/tie tacks. Anyway, I've tried a couple salmon flies this winter - here's my most recent.
If you have never tried tying classic style salmon flies you might give it a try. The finished flies make a nice decorative addition to your desk or wall and tying these often frustrating but ultimately rewarding works of art will make you a better tyer and add some challenge to the hobby. I recommend it!
If you have never tried tying classic style salmon flies you might give it a try. The finished flies make a nice decorative addition to your desk or wall and tying these often frustrating but ultimately rewarding works of art will make you a better tyer and add some challenge to the hobby. I recommend it!
