The Great Adams Lie

 Palmetto Fly N Fish Installment #128

The Adams is arguably the best known pattern among the genre that fly fishermen call, "dry flies." When newcomers ask what single dry fly pattern is a must have, the experienced folks invariably put the Adams somewhere at the top of the list.

The Adams, as we know it today

The Adams was first tied in Michigan by Leonard Halliday, around 1924 - making it nearly 100 years old!

Since its birth, The Adams has become one of the most widely used dry flies in America. And for good reason.

The pattern was not intended to imitate a specific insect. But as often happens in this business, it has that certain "buggy something" that closely imitates most of the somber, brownish-gray mayflies found on our many streams and lakes... and it is a first rate all-purpose attractor fly in its own right.

But there is a fly in the Adams ointment....because the Adams we know is an imposter.

The Revelation While recently reading a 60 year old issue of PA Angler (April, 1964), I stumbled upon a mention of the Adams by none other than Chauncey Lively. Mr. Lively is one of the greatest American fly anglers, in case you didn't know. We're talking Hall of Fame category, here. He was also a renowned fly tyer, and there, in a tutorial on tying an Adams variation, he said this: "The dressing we are going to use in tying our Adams follows the original tie, with the exception of the tails.

The original pattern, however, called for tails of golden pheasant tippets, but hackle fibers are used most commonly today.

Hold on a second. Back up....

There in black and white, a bona-fide, veteran expert from decades back clearly states that the Adams is supposed to have GOLDEN PHEASANT TIPPETS for the tail!! Here's a guy who knew more than most of us could hope to forget, a man who was closer to the original pattern than we can ever be, without a time machine. And he says we've been screwing it up, tying tails of common hackle feather on the Adams. Unwittingly, we are tying a phony version one of the most popular dry flies ever known. And out of hundreds of images searched, across the breadth of the internet, I only found one that shows it tied the right way. For the record, here's what it is supposed to look like. ....

Tail of golden pheasant tippets*

thanks to Fly Tyer Magazine

* "What are golden pheasant tippets," you ask? Well, they come from the rear of a golden pheasants neck, as seen here: golden pheasant Nothing New What's worse, this kind of mix up isn't a first.
I'm reminded of a story told to me by my friend Jack Montague, about market flies coming out of Japan in the 50's and 60's. They were good flies, usually of high quality. But they were very often tied incorrectly, when compared to their intended namesakes. And everyone copied them.... so they made bastard copies of what they THOUGHT were proper patterns. 

Down to this day, I expect no one knows that, and this may be the first time any of you has heard it. Chauncey Lively passed in 2000, but if you were fly fishing from the 40's through the 80's, he was one of your gurus. His book, "Chauncey Lively's Fly Box," is still considered a must-have in any library. Jack Montague runs the Wolf Glen Fly Fishing School, was the youngest member of the ORIGINAL Theodore Gordon Fly Fishers chapter, was a protege of Harry Darbee, a friend and sales rep for Gary Loomis, and more. So here we have a statement from Mr. Lively that I consider unassailable, with a reliable anecdote from Jack added in... and together they tell us that one of the most trusted, faithful patterns we have is apparently a lie.
At this point, the pragmatic among us will say, "Well, the Adams of today may be wrong,... but it catches fish and that's what matters."
Well, yeah, it catches fish. But, so does a hair ball from my cat, tied on a hook.
I know, I've tried it.

But I can't shake it, friends. I now wonder... what other fakes and falsehoods have we fallen victim to? It boggles the mind, doesn't it? I'm thinking therapy might be needed....

   "Doc, doc,... its all a lie!"

Anyway, with that bit of silliness, we move to another year of fishing ahead... and thank goodness. So, Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2022! Thanks so much for reading and, TIGHT LINES!

David

Palmetto Fly N Fish Feedback? Opinion? Feel free to leave a comment and come visit us at: Palmetto Fly N Fish © all rights reserved

Al and Gretchen Beatty's, "Humpy Encyclopedia"

"The Humpy Encyclopedia." That name probably evokes all sorts of interesting mental images from the average reader. Just the suggestive wording, "Humpy Encyclopedia"...

...well, you get the idea. But to a fly fisherman, it is immediately significant... a compendium based on one of the best surface fly patterns ever created. In fact, the full name is, "The Humpy Encyclopedia - More Than a Dozen Ways to Tie a Humpy." And it is from Al and Gretchen Beatty.

Married Teamwork For those who may not be into fly fishing, there have been a number of husband and wife teams that have successfully managed to share the fly fishing world together:

Walt and Winnie Dette

Harry and Elsie Darbe

Lee and Joan Salvato-Wulff

Dave and Emily Whitlock

Skip and Carol Ann Morris

... to name a few off the top of my head.

And to that list we must add Al and Gretchen Beatty.

Make It A Business I'm tempted to refer to the Beatty's as a, "Couple Emeritus," in the fly fishing world. To put it bluntly, they've been around awhile.... However, that title is an honorific normally reserved for those who retire from professional life.
And the Beatty's are anything but retired!

Along these lines, it's important to acknowledge that such husband-wife teams usually become a profit making business at some point. Skip and Carol Ann, The Whitlocks, all the others... they develop into a business over time.

Their shared immersion leads to that by default, I suppose.

In addition, today, these spouse teams embrace the digital sphere, and the Beatty's have done so in a huge way. They offer videos, live tying sessions, a Facebook presence, e-books for download, a prodigious webpage, ... and they are offering what I consider a must have in the library of the post-modern fly fisherman: "The Humpy Encyclopedia - More Than A Dozen Ways To Tie The Humpy." No, they aren't retired by any stretch.

The Book This book is exhaustive, as the name implies. "Encyclopedia" - that says it all.

And here's the kicker...its available for FREE, as an e-download.

Yes, free. Even if you have never tied your own flies, you can appreciate that.

It is in .pdf format, so it comes directly to you once you link to it. You don't have to grit your teeth and give up your email, or sign up for anything. Click on the link and there it is.

That's nice. There are 80 pages in it, too, all full of tying steps, illustrations, variations on the venerable Humpy pattern... well, you couldn't do all that in less than 80 pages. The Humpy has been a favorite for a long time, and the warm-water fish in my area go for it in a big way.

So, naturally a book about it is welcome.

And the Beatty's have made it available as a free download.

Call it a "taste of excellence," I guess.

If you want a copy, get it here: The Humpy Encyclopedia

Further Comments This is actually the second time I've had this e-book in my collection, and I'm glad it came up again.

The first one was lost when my cellphone crashed, because, like a doofus, I never backed it up.

So I fixed that problem straight away.

Our pal, Martin Joergensen, from Globalflysisher.com (Martin Globalflyfisher Joergensen), he had this post-script to add when he reviewed, "The Humpy Encyclopedia":

"If you enjoy the book after downloading and reading it, consider supporting this great initiative and contributing a few dollars to the Beatty's. You can do so through Paypal.

I wrote in the notes to my own donation: 'I have always appreciated people who share knowledge for free. That's something worth paying for!'"

I couldn't agree more and took Martins advice. I ponied up a donation from the Palmetto Fly n Fish coffers* for my newest copy of 'The Humpy Encyclopedia.' * okay.. there aren't any "coffers" here at PFnF. I opened my wallet - kinda the same thing, right? Anyway, like Martin, I REALLY appreciate business-minded people who offer free and useful stuff. I get it; they are in business to turn a profit. But the constant din of "sell, Sell, SELL!" found on so many of todays internet pages and videos is tiresome - so its refreshing to find a hidden gem like this,... an "easter egg," if you like. While I'm at it, I'd like to make an un-apologetic plug for the previously mentioned Skip Morris. Skip has a lot of free info available in the form of articles. Skip writes, while Carol Ann is the brains of the outfit. I have several of Skips books, in fact, and I recommend them highly.

Here is a taste... one that has influenced my own angling since I first stumbled upon it: Bass-BlueGill Laphttp://www.skip-morris-fly-tying.com/the-bass-bluegill-lap.html
Conclusion If you get The Humpy Encyclopedia, and find you DO want to send a little something to Al and Gretchen, you can do so via Paypal, using the email address: albeatty2@gmail.com

Read Martin's review, here: https://globalflyfisher.com/review/the-humpy-encyclopedia

Al and Gretchen's web page is also a must visit and you should add them to your favorites as soon as you land there. Trust me on this one.

http://www.btsflyfishing.com/ I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something. If you wish, please share it with your friends. Thanks for reading and Tight Lines, friends!

David

Palmetto Fly N fish © all rights reserved, 2022

Little Bitty Poppers

Here's a trio of mini-poppers, awaiting their chance to work. The coin, a U.S. quarter dollar, is for scale.

Did I say they are mini-size? Oh, yes!

Poppers are possibly the most popular type of surface fly, at least here in the US.

There are many surface flies, from microscopic dry flies to big snake patterns.

But I’ll wager the “popper” has most of them beat for sheer usage numbers.
These are about a size 8, and compared to "normal size" panfish bugs, they are perhaps half as big.

These little guys came from friend and "Palmetto Fly 'n Fish" group member Mark Fishburn, Jr., as part of a goody box he sent… which also included a like-new Redington Crosswater combo. 
Mark feeds my addiction for fishing goods from time to time, for which I am eternally grateful. But more on that some other day.

According to my notes at the time, Mark got 75 of these mini-poppers for $15. He sourced them from one of the China-direct sellers, like aliexpress.com.

That's twenty cents each, and they came in a wide array of colors.

Today, that has changed. 

You can still get them, but, I've noticed a couple things:

1. They are not as readily available as they were a few seasons ago.
Tastes change, and the manufacturers shift their production around to what people buy a lot of of. If it isn't these, they fall out of availability.

2. Like everything else, the prices are higher. From what I've seen lately, the price has easily doubled, as of this writing.

Still.... that's not a bad deal when you consider what you'll pay for ONE of these in a blister pack with a few feathers added, and some "name-brand" on the package.
Flies are getting up to $4 each these days; I’m betting some of them are these very same ones, repackaged.

Hmmm, maybe I’m in the wrong business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...when the fish want to feed up to the surface,
they will smack these mini-poppers 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What you get with these is a pretty substantial hook, with a pre-painted, hard foam popper body attached... and that's it.
The opening picture shows them with dressing, but they come as the raw poppers...

You purchase the basic body and hook, as seen above..., before anyone has added dressing, a popular label name, and a big price tag.

This means you can do whatever you want to adorn them.

That's a good thing.

For example, if you're not a "fly tyer," or you're a beginner, or maybe just want to try your hand at it - these are ideal.
A few feathers or some fur tied to the rear, and that's about all they really need.
On the other hand, if you tie your own flies, these are a blank canvas for your creativity.

In this case, well, you can see what I did to them.
Some are adorned with calf tail and rubber legs, still another has hackle and big "muscular" feather legs.
Because these usually come plainly painted with a single color, and an eye, I used some indelible marking pens to give them a camo pattern.

I hope it is somewhat lifelike….. but it doesn’t really matter if it isn’t.

Seriously, anyone can do this.

Casting these little things couldn't be easier - they don't hang in the air on the cast, and they pretty much go where you point them.
A little twitch of the rod tip, and some sit-and-wait is about all you need to work them in the water and catch fish. Pretty simple.

The truth is, I've used these, or something like them, over a good many seasons. They've been around for ages.

In fact, I have some that I've been using as long as I can recall; I'm not even sure where I got them. When they get tattered, I just replace the worn out dressing and the thing goes back into action!
So they hold up pretty well, too, as a rule.

In the end, what you'll find is that when the fish want to feed up to the surface, they will smack these mini-poppers.
We can say that about most any popper, of course,... and aint that what it's really all about?  

I bring them to you, today, because they are cute, colorful and fun for anyone, especially the guy who wants to try his hand at the vise... plus, they work!

And that's also a good thing.


Thanks for reading and, Tight Lines!

David 
Palmetto Fly n Fish
© all rights reserved

For more informative and useful content like this, come join us at:
Palmetto Fly n Fish 

Casual Dress - A Variation on a Theme

Flies made from natural animal hair are a favorite of mine. Which means Polly Rosborough's "Casual Dress," ranks high on the list.

Very high. If you are unaware of Polly Rosborough, well... we can fix that. You can learn about him, here: Polly Rosborough - A Life Well Lived If you are unaware of his pattern, the "Casual Dress," well... lets say that's too bad. It is one of the best patterns I have in my box. So you should get to know the Casual Dress. Why does it rate so high? Well, it is tough, it is adaptable, and it works wonders on the panfish in my local waters. If we were to categorize the Casual Dress, we would call it a nymph, and nymphs are excellent fish catching flies. Perhaps the single best type for trout and panfish. So there's that.

But going beyond, Rosborough further defined it as a, "fuzzy nymph." This is because the fly is crafted primarily from animal fur; the originals used muskrat and ostrich herl. The sparse materials list alone should earn this pattern some points. There is, in fact, an entire range of these fur-tied nymph patterns designed by Polly Rosborough, and even a book titled, appropriately enough, "Tying and Fishing The Fuzzy Nymphs." Don't think that because these nymphs only take two materials that they can be thrown together any old way. In fact, Polly was quite specific about how they were to be tied, from the way the muskrat fur was worked, down to the ostrich herl at the head. He even insisted you use an old hacksaw blade to scruff up the bodies once complete! But, while the pattern TYING PROCEDURE is well-defined, it is also adaptable. The idea is to tie a fly that represents something a fish would want to eat... that was what Polly Rosborough was shooting for. To do that, you can use a variety of material types that fit into the pattern style. That's the beauty of the thing, and that's what I've done here. The pattern has been tied in the proscribed manner, but with variations on the theme.

The Original Idea courtesy of John Teft

The Variation

I'm not going to detail the tying of this fly - there are a lot of instructions for that on the internet, or in the books. Here is just one of many: How To Tie The Casual Dress However, fly tyers tend to wander off track when at the vise. They like to add changes, or use materials that differ from the pattern. It is adaptation, more than disrespect. One guy referred to it as "riffing," and I like the sound of that. In this case, I stuck with the usual plan for the tail, body, and collar. But I "riffed" down a wide fork in the road after that.

1. The fur in this particular variation is mink, not muskrat. This gives it a fine, fluffy look. What is wanted is a hair that's not overly coarse, and which possesses a good bit of underfur. I tried it with fur from a fox tail once, and it made a very rough, ragged looking fly. Not normally what I am after, but in larger sizes, I'm sure it would work quite well.

2. The tail is the guard hair from the chosen pelt, with some of the underfur left in. It's tied about shank length.

3. The dubbed body is that portion of the underfur taken from the tail, with a little flash dubbing mixed in. It is dubbed tightly onto the thread, then the noodle is wound onto the hook.

4. The hair collar is done using the split thread technique, and also spun very tightly. The hair is stroked back as it is wound on. On this one it almost disappears.

5. The pattern calls for ostrich herl at the front, but I snagged a small pheasant feather for this and left the ostrich herl off.

It gives a buggy, leggy, variegated look.

I tied this one after being away from the vise for awhile - week's, I think. I'm never sure what'll happen after such a hiatus...

Will I muck it up?

Tie down my fingers?

Jab myself with hook or bodkin?

Happily, none of these happened with this effort. My riffing doesn't look too bad, either. Try this pattern, as a variation. Use whatever soft animal fur you might have available, and tie up a few of these. Then fish them. You'll find them to be just what I say: a top notch fish catcher. And a fine variation on a theme. Thanks for reading Tight Lines David Palmetto Fly n Fish © all rights reserved Visit us at by following this link: Palmetto Fly N Fish

THE REDHEAD - A Hot Bass Fly from Paul Young

----------------------------------------

Some of you may remember a fly pattern I shared last March called, "The Gill Bug." 
Or you may not...I had to go back and find it myself!

The Gill Bug was a simple, deer hair-and-chenille pattern, intended as a surface fly for bass and panfish. It came from the inventive mind of Paul H Young, and in case you missed that, here's a link to that blog post:

Paul Young's, "Gill Bug" >>>

If you missed The Gill Bug, well,... you probably won't remember Paul Young.
He was based in Detroit, and was known for his exquisitely slender and light bamboo fly rods in the years following World War II.
He literally pioneered what we today call "ultralight fly rods," although he denied having invented the small rod craze. Nevertheless, he engineered new ways to make these rods, and became renowned for them.
To this day, his rods are so well regarded that they have their own database to keep track of them!  
There's much more about him on the Gill Bug link above, if you're interested.

More to the point of this article, however, is that Paul was also a top notch fly tyer, with a good many popular patterns to his credit. "The Michigan Stone," "The Strawman Nymph," and the aforementioned, "Gill Bug," were all in his catalogue 

Bass Fishing
Even though his primary angling interests were trout and salmon, Paul Young went for any fish that would take a fly. For example, he developed tackle and techniques for salt water fly fishing, and he held the world's record for fly-caught bonefish at one time. And there's the aforementioned Gill Bug - his own pattern for panfish and bass.

But - and its a big "BUT" - because he was primarily a builder of lithesome trout rods, his fly tyinp efforts converged to create bass flies that could be cast easily with the lightest rods possible.
Today this is not uncommon, but he opened the door to this aspect of fly fishing 60 or more years ago. 

Of special interest to us was Mr. Young's fascination with smallmouth bass.
He believed they could be taken on or near the surface with light fly tackle. 
And he was obviously on to something... many of todays' favorite patterns intended for these fish do just that.

But there is one key difference:

They are, for the most part, large, hulking things with as many hairy, feathery, rubbery appendages as can be crammed on to a hook.
That is not the path Mr. Young was taking.

Instead, Paul created several specialist patterns that are essentially large dry flies. One of his most successful patterns was the one seen here, "The Redhead," a split-wing variation of the Trude squirrel-tail flies.

A Bevy of Redheads

The Redhead - Above and Below
Unlike sparsely tied trout flies, the dressing of the Redhead is really full and bushy.
This is by design - you want the fly to be "active" on, or near, the surface and  to create a visible disturbance... "to move a lot of water," as we would say, today.
In that way, it is something like more modern bass bugs. 
But, because it's mostly made from squirrel hair, hackle and little else, it gives the impression of bulkiness, without possessing real mass.
This is in stark contrast to the familiar but gargantuan, "bass bugs," and it means it won't unlikely to spoil the cast on lighter weight gear.

With it's deliberately jam-packed dressing, The Redhead will push a lot of water and make a commotion - both on the surface and just beneath it. 
It can wake and surge, too, if the hackle collar is wrapped especially fat and burly. 
It floats pretty well, particularly if both the fly and the leader have floatant applied to them.

Bass feeding at the surface on insects, or anything else, are seldom as selective as trout, and the Redhead comes into its own in this regard.
It also makes a good pattern just below the surface.

Beneath the surface - I mention this latter notion of fishing subsurface, on purpose. It is often overlooked in our rush to hit that exciting surface bite on poppers, frogs, and other floating beasties. 

But after spending time on the water, I have found that there are really few critters actually floundering around on top of the water. In short, we imagine it more than it actually happens.
As it turns out, most of the things bass eat are found somewhere below the surface. They will come up to take lures on top, yes, but the point here is that they are COMING UP to do so....from below.
So, it's more likely that they will take lures and flies, more often or more readily, UNDER the water. 

This was driven home a few years ago when I found that another of my favorite flies, The Humpy, was as good a fly BENEATH the surface, as it was on it! 
I came to fish it as a one-two pattern: cast it out and let if work as a surface fly. Once it got soggy and sank down in the water, I could fish it as a wet fly and keep catching fish. 

With this in mind, the Redhead can cover both realms.
It will remain afloat for a good while, but it can also be allowed to sink and then fish as a suspending wet fly in the near-surface region. 

Materials
Hook - long shank, #4-#10 light wire hooks cover most situations. 
I use Aberdeens.

Thread - Something around  8/0-6/0, for strength to bind the hair

Body - Red floss. This is the original body dressing, and also forms the tail

Rib - Gold tinsel, medium

Wing - Red/ginger squirrel tail hair 

Hackle - 2 ginger/brown hackles, sized large for the hook. 

Some options for body and tail

Left top, clockwise: dubbing in your choice of style and color, yarn of most any type and color, floss (the original used red floss), poly fiber.   

These are what I've been tinkering with, but the sky is the limit where body materials are concerned. Just don't over do it - the wing and hackle are the stars of the show.

Wing and Hackle

Squirrel tail hair and hackle. Here it's a grey squirrel, and some mixed hackles: dun, badger, black and ginger.
The Redhead, as tied by Mr. Young, was "color coordinated" - it used red/ginger squirrel and hackle. 

Tools

Simple Tools

From top left clockwise: bobbin with choice of thread, hair stacker, head cement and super glue, scissors, whip finisher, dubbing brush/comb.

NOTE ABOUT ADHESIVES: I include adhesives because a teensy dab at main points during construction helps make for a tough fly.
And squirrel hair is particularly slippery - a dot of glue helps secure it.

Tying the Redhead (see photos 1-3 below)



                                                    photo 1



                                        photo 2 

                                        photo 3 

The tying is pretty basic, with the exception of the wing. 
You build the slim tail and body in the usual way. 
Then the wing is arranged in the following manner:

1. Cut a pretty hefty hank of hair from the squirrel tail, roughly about the thickness of  #2 pencil.

2. Tie on the hair behind the eye, in bucktail fashion - that is to say, tips facing rearward and overhanging the bend of the hook.
Secure the hair firmly with several wraps of thread and a half hitch, then trim off the butts close, and at an an angled taper.

3. Separate the hair into two equal shocks, one to each side of the centerline, and, with figure 8 wraps, separate each shock of hair so it sticks out to the side at about 45 degrees AND angled slightly upwards.

4. With head cement, saturate the base of the hair butts, and when half dry, squeeze flat with tweezers or pointed nose plier.

5. Select TWO medium length hackles, with barbules 1 1/2 - 2 times as long as the hook gap. Tie in the hackles by the stem, just in front of the wings, on edge and with the dull side of the feather facing forward.

6. Wind on each feather separately, getting the bulk of the feather on the fly. Bind each tightly behind the eye. 

7. Build a thread head and apply a liberal dollop of cement to the thread.

A unique fly, made from common materials, designed for casting ease with regular gear. What's not to like?
Give The Redhead a try.

Thanks so much for reading,

Tight Lines

David
Palmetto Fly n Fish
Come visit us for more great content like this: Palmetto Fly N Fish
© all rights reserved 2021
  

Inspired by a Chauncy K. Lively article in the 1975 PA Angler.
All credit due the source.  

Southern Appalachian Royal Wulff

This was my first deliberate attempt at a, "Royal," fly.

In this case, I've done what I call a "Royal Southern Appalachian Wulff."

Southern Appalachian stream flies, i.e., flies specific to the streams of the S. Appalachian region of the US, are fairly uncommon. Trying to research them is nearly an exercise in futility.

Probably, the best known is the "Tellico Nymph." A few have heard of the "Yellowhammer," and perhaps true fly-geeks know the, "Thunderhead."

But one thing seems to be a defining feature with flies from the region: the color yellow.

I don't know why yellow came to be prominent in the area, but the two are intertwined.

Here I've done a bucktail wing Wulff-style fly that has that vivid yellow look.

Its kinda scruffy, but I'm no pro. It'll do for a first attempt.

Thanks for looking Tight Lines David Palmetto Fly n Fish © all rights reserved 2021

I Bagged A Partridge!

Mr. Partridge Comes To Stay
First Look At Some Partridge Goodness

Installment #102

===================

I have a confession - I’ve been hoarding cash cards for a few seasons, the kind you get for Xmas, birthdays, and so on.
I don't rush to the computer to spend them as soon as they are mine…. No, I give thanks for my good fortune, I put them in a safe place - and I promptly forget about them.

Which begs the question:

“Is it hoarding if you lose track and forget you have them?”

Anyway, last weekend, I cashed out a couple of the cards, and got myself a partridge pelt with the proceeds. 
If you don’t know what that is, the “pelt” is the entire skin from an animal; in this case it’s from a bird, with all the feathers attached.

For a lot of you reading this, that announcement will be a snoozer.... you’ll say something like, ”Big deal; partridge is pretty common stuff.”

Well, that’s true - the partridge feather as a fly tying material is hardly a rarity. 

But I’ve put off this purchase for some time, because good pelts are a bit on the pricey side - this one was $40.00USD.

For most of my fly tying "career," I've had it in my head that tying flies should be done at low cost.
It's hooks and feathers, after all, and maybe a little fur brushed from the cat. 

If you want to get fancy, some stuffing pulled from a plush toy gets worked in, or a few beads are added.

But it should’t cost much money.

And, contrary to popular belief, being on the internet with a Facebook page, and a blog, well,...these aren't an automatic path to wealth and fame.
I know, it looks that way.
But let me assure you, such is not the case.

So, I’ve always viewed a whole partridge skin as a nice-to-have item,... and then I get by with little packs of partridge feathers picked up here and there.

At the same time, it’s a truism in the fly tying world that having a full pelt, of any kind, is the best way to go. You get more usable feathers, you get a variety of feather sizes, and it’s just pretty awesome to have the thing.
That last bit doesn’t tie any flies, but it counts for something.

So I took the plunge.
Here is what I got:

This particular skin is also reckoned as a high grade piece, from a reputable name - Hareline. 
They’re calling it “Grade 1” - not that I know what that really means, but it sounds pretty good.

I did pay retail for it, but it’s as good as they come... and I've since been told I could have paid more.
I'm calling it a win.

First Impressions

- It has about a zillion feathers on it.
Right off, I can see many different types of flies are possible: soft hackle flies , nymphs, bass flies,.... really, a lot of flies.

Anything from about size 6-18 can come from this thing.

I don't know if I will ever use all the feathers, particularly the little teensy ones. I don't tie many micro flies, so those little plumes could be around for a while.
I'm also pretty sure most fly tyers don't end up using every last feather on a skin, anyhow.
But, there really are a lot of feathers on this thing, making it one of those, "good bang for your buck" items people always talk about. 

- It’s smaller than I expected
I don't know where you live, but I live in South Carolina.
Partridges might be thick as fleas on a hound dog in your part of the world, but here in the Palmetto State, well...there aren’t any partridges to look at. 

As in NONE. 

It seems Mr. Partridge was introduced into North America, from Europe. There are 15 genera of partridges in the world, comprising nearly 50 species. Two of these, the chukkar and the gray partridge have established populations in North America, particularly in the Intermountain West and Great Plains. 

Which is to say they are not found down here in Dixie. 

Doves, yes.

Partridges, no.

So, considering the geography of the matter, it’s not like I could compare them for size, even if I wanted to.

NOTE: In Facebook fly tying groups, bird-skin chats always turn up folks saying something like, "Go to your hunting friends and get 'em for free, don't pay for 'em...." well, until I move to Minnesota or Nebraska, that isn’t much in the way of helpful advice, either.

- The wings are attached
I dunno, I guess that's a benefit? Not really sure, yet. 

To be clear, I'm uncertain just what flies you can tie with partridge wing feathers, but, hey - I got 'em when I think of something!

- It’s smelly
This partridge pelt has that peculiar rancid odor you get from untanned, oily, animal skin-things. I don’t mind it so much; if that bothered me I wouldn't be much of a fly tyer.
But there is a pronounced, piquant scent that lingers around the skin.... and on your fingers after handling it.
The dog likes it, I can tell you that much.

- It’s macabre
Holding it in your hand, feathers on one side and gnarly bare skin on the other, you realize there was once a living bird inside this thing,... and that it probably wasn't too keen on giving up its skin.

In an oddly perverse way, that's part of the allure.
Plus, it gives me one of the few opportunities I get to use the word, "macabre."

As you might imagine, though, my wife, Lori, was not favorably impressed with my smelly, dead-bird skin. 

She sneered
She held her nose
She demanded it be taken away.
She had the same reaction to me waving a hares mask under her nose, by the way.
She is not a fly tyer, obviously.

But to a fly tyer, this is Nirvana.

So, there you go, those are the first impressions I get from my first ever partridge skin.

In my esteem, there is a Quartet Of Skins that all fly tyers want to have:

- Partridge
- Pheasant
- Premium dry hackle cape 

.....and the epitome of bird skins for fly tying....

- Jungle Cock

I have managed to accumulate a few pheasant skins, and I rustled up a couple of premium hackle capes a while back.

Now, I have the third leg of the Skin Quartet - a partridge. 

All that remains is to wrangle a jungle cock cape, somehow, before my eyes get too bad to tie flies.
Then I’ll be a full-fledged member of The Skin Quartet Club.

Thanks for reading and,
Tight Lines!

David

If you like this, comment, and tell a'many friend.
If you don't like it, tell me, but there let it end.

Either way, come visit us on Facebook
at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/flyfishingsouthcarolina/

©All rights reserved, 2021

The Russ Peake Loop - An Improved Loop Connection

The RUSSELL PEAK LOOP An Improved Loop Connection

There was a minor wave of interest a few years ago, when I mentioned my use of the Russ Peake Loop, for leader to line connection. Well, alright - one person wondered what the heck I was talking about..... that's a minor wave, aint it? Today, another intrepid angler, wondered. So, with two people now engaged - it seems its time to put this into a blog post. Anyway, if anyone is feeling frisky enough to give it a whirl, here are the details from my files, formatted in edit to fit this page.

All credit given to the original. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = LOOPS FOR FLY LINES AND LEADERS by Ed Russell The Russell Peak loop knot was developed by the famous West Coast rod builder of the same name. Russ Peak was a pioneer of fiberglass fly rod building, starting way back in 1951. Along with his rods, he also developed a fly line loop connection that takes advantage of the poly-core construction of modern lines. The Russ Peak Loop, as it’s called, is a short, strong, flexible loop that goes through the guides with ease, and allows easy switching of leaders. The first time you try to create this loop, it may seem troublesome. But a little practice can remedy that, and if you’re already a fly tyer, you should have no problems. A little persistence will pay off here - it gives you a connection that goes through the guides easier than most, and forms the basis of an interchangeable leader and tippet system. By tying a loop in the butt end of your leaders with a double surgeon's knot, you can easily change from one type or length of leader to another as conditions dictate. If you also tie a loop in the next-to-last leader section, and one in the tippet section, you can go from one tippet size to another with ease. >>>>> (This was way before tippet rings were on the scene. Today, I'd recommend tippet rings, instead, without hesitation ~ David) One word of caution—when joining either line to leader, or two sections of leader, make certain that the loops are drawn together in a sort of figure-eight configuration. Do not allow the loops to form a girth hitch. This can cut itself and is very much weaker than the correctly formed connection. Properly done, the Russell Peak loop-to-loop connection is at least as strong as a nail knot, and has no discernible effect on the turnover or presentation of your fly. Give it a try. I think you will be surprised how well this system works. The materials you need: - A fly tying bobbin filled with a strong tying thread, such as 3/0 monocord, or Kevlar, - A fine sewing needle, - A pair of scissors, - Pliobond or other flexible waterproof cement."

- from PA Angler, Feb 1989 https://www.fishandboat.com/Transact/AnglerBoater/LegacyIssues/1980s/Documents/02february1989.pdf = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Tight Lines, David