Another simpleton bluish creation. Not sure what this one was inspired by. I think maybe I tried to imagine the two colors I think steelhead are least likely to eat and then decided to wrap them into a fly. At least it has contrast.





Woulda preferred medium JC for the eyes and wings that lay a little more flat, but beginners can't be choosers...or something like that. Need shorter hackles for bodies. Time to order some more feathers I guess.



Miniature Akroyd army, ready to march into battle.




Don't let me down Sam.

Salmo G, sounds like you might have a new address since I last sent you a care package. PM me with a new one and I'll send you a few of the factory seconds seeing as how you don't care much for pretty flies either

Good looking Akroyd army Coley. I used to sit and tie flies at night for hours when I was young enough that I didn't need to wear the magnifier glasses. Now I'm only good for about an hour before the glasses start to bug me.

Sg

Keep it up Coley. Next step is to tie your creation on gold hooks and put them in a frame.

Last two, time to clean up the table and switch gears.

Something a little more natural using rhea and goose feathers I picked up in a field in Argentina. The rhea is a little hard to tame as compared to the blue eared pheasant and whiting hackles.




Nightmare spey? Tried a tented wing out on this one and I think i like it. No idea how it will swim as compared to the dee wings but I like the look anyhow.





No mas. Been fun to give something new a try and there is a lot to learn with this business. Gotta start prepping for spring though. Smolts and Dolly Lama's should probably be next on the list after a few rounds of yarnie production.

LIKE the nightmare Spey. Come October Caddis time, that one would flat get it done. I also really like the sparse blue and yellow ones above the Akroyd army. I'll fish any of the flies pictured in this thread, in case you need another field tester. I'm cool with a shrimp oil soak, too. Who am I to question a man's art?

Here is a SBS done by Marty Howard of his version of Tom Larimer's Sandy River Prawn. I tie my own version as well. Have fun tweaking it to your liking.

Tom Larimer had the recipe and pictures on his site, but has since taken it down. The recipe Marty has listed is Tom's original recipe from his site. The main difference I remember was Tom's Ostrich tail/feelers were longer than Marty's, extending out past the end marabou tips some and used UV Polar Chenille not UV Cactus Chenille .

Somethings I'll add/change:

Tail/Feelers: Bucktail (sparse, slightly longer and before the sparse Ostrich)

30-40lb. melted mono. black Sharpie eyes (extend back 1/3 of tail/feeler length after the Ostrich)

Under Body: UV Cactus Chenille, UV Polar Chenille (uv polar chenille sparse, palmered, with spaced turns over the uv cactus chenille)

Wing/Shell Back: Bucktail (sparse, slightly longer and before the sparse Ostrich)

UV Spray: CS Coatings UV Blast (light sparse spray)

Note: The added bucktail really helps balance the fly.

An excellent prawn pattern using a lot of movement materials, making it a great swimmer.

http://www.speypages.com/speyclave/showthread.php?t=34294

GG

Image copied from speypages link above courtesy of Gray Ghost.



That is a good looking prawnish thing, plenty of fishy action no doubt. It definitely falls more into the marablob category although the grizzly hackle is a nice touch for some lifelike contrast.

GG I like your suggestions re: feelers and eyes, definitely good touches.

For prawn/shrimp patterns, I am really personally drawn to the segmented, natural looking stuff. Twitches Skrunk is about as good as it gets. I like the GP as well for the same reasons and it seems like there are some very nice variations on the original out there. I need some more materials to make that one happen though, GP red breast feathers namely.

Here is shrimpish thing that treated me well this fall that I have been meaning to recreate. I went to great lengths to save my last one, but eventually broke it off in spectacular fashion in the mouth of a chrome rocket.

Not that I would ever imbibe, but I've always liked the sparse, traditional spey.
Leggy and seductive.



Nice stuff, Coley.

Wings are a little long and a little high. I fixed those problems in later models.

I too have been visually drawn to the sparse, classic, spey "look" though I am not sure why. At first I didn't think it had anything to do with fishiness, but after learning more about the engineering in these flies, the style may be more fishy than I give it credit for.

Here is a different spin of the standard GP. The GP Intruder.

http://www.canadiantubeflies.com/files/Intruders.pdf

http://www.canadiantubeflies.com/files/GP_INTRUDER_S_by_S.pdf

http://www.canadiantubeflies.com/videos-gp-heron-intruder.html

GG

Here are a few of Marty's SBS speys with GP or Ringneck pheasant rump wings.


http://speypages.com/speyclave/showthread.php?t=30880&highlight=REd+Ween


http://speypages.com/speyclave/showthread.php?t=52063&highlight=dance+hall

http://speypages.com/speyclave/showthread.php?t=63710

GG

It is amazing how much you can miss a place that your barely even got to know. I wanna go back!

Word. Shoveling the driveway isn't nearly as much fun as fishing.

On the hangdown especially, with a little twitch perhaps.
There was suddenly a big wash........

Took a stab at twisting up some tarpon flies for the world traveling angler sir Stam.

Not entirely happy in each case, but I was starting to iron out a few kinks towards the end of each batch. Might have to wind up a few of these for my own collection in case I wind up in a warm sunny place again one day.

Still have another coat or two of glue to finish the heads.



Psychedelic Herring






Sea Habit Sardine







La Cucaracha (cockroach)








And a couple of shades of Stu Apte's tarpon fly




Care package on the way Stam.

Hope they bring you guys luck and take me a photo or two if they hook something besides Dave's foot, second thought, take a photo of that too.

Nice work Coley. Those will hunt.
You going to epoxy or a uv cure on the heads?

Being my first experiment in this realm, I have started with three different products, Hard Head, Softex, and a clear epoxy. Trying to get a sense for which will be easier to work with and turn out the best results. The Hard Head and softex are nice to work with, but being thinner, they take quite a few coats to build up the head. The expoxy is a pain to work with but due to the higher volume and thicker viscosity, makes quicker work of it.

I know nothing about this UV cure business of which you speak. Good way to go?

Whats the hook on those salty flies?



Looks stout but black? Don't they need to be stainless or tinned?


c/22

Gamy SC17 Tarpon/Saltwater 2/0.

I was a bit thrown off by the color/ finish as well as it seems like most saltwater hooks are the silver stainless variety. I like the Tiemco 800s for smaller stuff.

Coley,
I've used two UV cures, Clear Cure Goo and Loon Knot Sense.
I really like it. Just zap it with the light and you are done. Way easier then turning epoxy.
After it is cured, there is a slight tackiness. You can remove that with a alcohol wipe or coat it with Hard as Nails. I use the Hard as Nails.
The tackiness will go away if you set it out in the sunlight. Good luck trying to find some of that at this time of the year.
My CCG light cures Knot Sense.

Other brand of UV cure are Bug Bond, Tuffleye, Diamond Hard and Solarez.

If you go on YouTube and search for "uv cures fly tying" you find some videos on the various products. This will give you a general idea of how it cures.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=KhZUWNKPF-o

SF