This is how I do it. After tying on the tail of the fly, strip or cut off 1/2 to 1 inch of flank feathers (depending on the size of the fly). Even the tips in your hands and bunch them together into the wing shape you want. Hold the tips against the hook shank to get the wing length proportion. Using a pinch loop, tie the wing in one quarter hook length behind the eye, with the tips pointing out over the eye (you can also have them pointing toward the bend, it is just a matter of personal preference). Keeping tension on the thread, check the length, if you are off on the wing length you can make some adjustments at this point. When you are sure the length is right, lift up the wing and make several wraps on both sides to stand it up properly. If you want a slight backward tilt, put more wraps butted up against the wing on the front (hook eye) side. Trim off excess, and cover with thread. Now finish the fly.
This makes a very realistic, durable wing.
Tom Davenport
PS If the wing ends up a little too long, trim it. The fish won't care.
On Feb 22, 2004, at 9:46 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Hello everyone
Calling all VFB'ers, Calling all VFB'ers come in, come in, beginner tyer
has Mayfly wing dilemma Can you help???????. CAR 51 CAR 51 come in come
in........
Howdy Gang, well here it is let me set the stage for the question.
I am currently in Jeff Frye's Mega Mayfly swap and I am tying my own
pattern, I call it a Brown Bomber, it is a cross between a Lucca's foam
Hex spinner, and a Dark Hedrickson, It has the Tail of the foam hex
spinner and body, head and wings of the Dark Hedrickson. I have
everything selected as far as materials go, the material list
is................
HOOK- #12 Dry fly 94840
THREAD- 8/0 black
TAIL- 2 pcs. of peccary and foam (painted brown with paint pen)
BODY- Brown dubbing
HACKLE -2 Bicolor hackle black and reddish brown
WING - Died ginger wood dock flank feather
My dilemma has to do with how do I secure the wing or wings on. Do I tye
on 2 separate wings using 2 flanks or split one flank and stand them up.
Also do I tye on the wing first or spin the hackle first. I received a
JPEG from Jim Burbank showing also a single mallard feather cut and
trimmed and tied to stand up. I am really not sure what to do, Any
suggestions?. If I tie 2 wings how on earth do you secure them to stay in
place. I remember a thread last year between Joyce and DonO on this, but
now as I reach 40 that's all I can do is just remember it came up. Ok
enough for now..........
Scott Crosby.........(Wanna be Mayfly tier)
Tom Davenport
Home Page: http://homepage.mac.com/tsmd Webshots Albums: http://community.webshots.com/user/tsmdav
