Fly Tying Materials from 100 or more years ago.

Fly Tying Materials from 100 or more years ago.

I like to study fly patterns as much as I like to make stuff from trash. I know that's a big statement. I really like to make stuff out of the discards of modern society. We make a lot of trash a group. So I have become a observer of that pattern of behavior.

I also have become interested in what did those that came before have to tie with? Their trash pile were considerably smaller. They didn't waste so much. Didn't have so much to waste either. Food didn't have wrappers and disposable goods weren't a thing yet.

So what did they have to pick from? They were more agrarian. Farming was a thing that a larger population engaged in. So lets focus on natural items. Fur and feathers. If you ate it, it came in the wrapper God put it in.

A lot of chickens.

Chickens still rule supreme as the go to material. Dry flies and streamers and everything in between. Chickens wound up on the table. This lends to a lot of feathers at the end of the processing. I know they stuffed a good many into pillows. True enough. That still left a availability.

Hunting the hill sides.

Folks hunted. Deer and turkey. Turkey were obviously similar to chicken. Bigger feathers and colors. Deer hair and other large game could be saved. That hair has great buoyancy properties as well a movement when added to flies.

Narrowing the focus.

So after pondering the possibilities and resources I decided to tie a few with just those materials. I did take the liberty of using modern hooks and threads. I could bring myself to tie flies with cotton or wool threads. But I am sure the ancestors did just that.

The next few flies I would like to show you will be tied with only stuff those fly fishers here in America had. My offering may be modern patterns but again only materials found in the time period 100 + years ago.

Deciding factors.

I live among a lot of farms and folks getting back to the land. Also have a good many friends who hunt. Chicken feathers from the barn yard. Deer hair from the fields. Those will be the focus of this experiment. I will share two chicken focused patterns and two deer hair offerings. They will not be dyed or genetically raised sources. Organic if I may.

Chicken

Offering 1

Chickybugger

#10 Streamer Hook
Rum feathers from a barnyard hen ie Chickabou
8/0 Blk thread

Flytyers Weekend at Little River Outfitters in Townsend TN.

We really enjoyed getting to demonstrate Trash Flies and talk to different people. 

Dedicated to my son, Bailey. I love you.

Faux Fish Mask's

I like Fish Mask's. I really do. Recommend them highly. Suggest you try them if you have not.

If you want to make your own try this.

Material to try 1/4", .250, or 6.35 mm clear plastic tubing.

The Idea

I was wondering if there might be a way to make the Fish Mask DIY style. Here's what I was experimenting with.

A piece of clear plastic tubing. 1/4" in diameter.

 Could it be shaped in such a way to create the face of a streamer pattern?  

Tools: 

Ruler

Side cutters

Squirrel Leech

Recipe

#6 Bass Hook

6/0 tying thread gray

3D eye's

Gray Pine squirrel zonker strip

Sparkle dub

UV Resin

Super glue

Shaped segment of clear tubing

Steps

Step1. Thread your hook.

Step 2. Tie in your zonker strip at the bend of the hook.

Step 3. Wrap your zonker strip toward the eye.

Step 4. Tie down your strip behind the eye.

Step 5. Build a thread head.

Step 6. Glue the head.

Step 7 slip your shaped tubing over the thread while wet. 

 Step 8. Pinch to shape and let set.

Step 9. Place eyes on the tube.

Step 10. Add UV glue to fill and shape the head to taste.

Step 11. Cure the UV with light.

Step 12. Go catch some fish!

Stay Clever and Trashy my Friends.

Dedicated to my son, Bailey. I Love you.

#trashflies #flyfishing

Happy 2017!

May 2017 see our skills improve. May we trick the fish. Copy nature with all the materials we can find. Share our knowledge and experience. Share our fruit's with those eager to learn. Practice with determination and regulatory. Support and encourage our peers on their journeys. My 2017 be clever ideas, skillful designs, and artful examples. 

Stay clever and trashy my friends.



Tip: A small Crochet hook makes a great way to start or retrieve your dubbing from a box with a hole.

Stay Clever and Trashy my friends

Dedicated to my son, I love you.