WOW... Excellent information, Pete... Very, very informative... Thank you... I've been really getting into tying "Streamers", such as "A. J.'s Minnow", "Grey Ghost", "May Morning Custom", "Sir Charles" and "Spawning Kokanee", but I'm really having a hard time finding the correct color hackle points...
Rodney... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Gramp" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 8:50 AM Subject: Re: [VFB] Spey Flies??? > OK, $64,000 question for the day, Hey Jimi (and all), I'll be accepting that $64K in small bills or large trout... "Spey" flies were flies that were (and some still are) tied on the River Spey in Scotland. These flies are 'streamer-like' with the hackle coming from a unique strain of rooster that bears the same name (the "Spey Cock"). These feathers are very webby with extremely long (2.5" or longer) fibers, and since the end of viable roosters with this genetic makeup (some call it extinction, but it really is just that the roosters with those characteristics were bred out to make room for less-webby dry-fly hackle), many have tried to find substitutes. At one time, before Herons were endangered, their breast and saddle feathers made excellent substitutes. Currently, Whiting is trying to breed some roosters that have comparable hackle to heron, but the fibers are anything but what the original spey rooster's were... a better substitute (in my opinion) would be straight-up Schlapen brushed out with a toothbrush after palmering. In any case, Spey flies traditionally have a 'downwing' of Bronze Mallard Shoulder, laid back to look like a tented crustaceon shell over the hook. Also, traditional hooks are up- eyed and comparable to the Alec Jackson / Salmon hooks of today. Back when most popular (early to mid- 1800's), they were strictly for salmon on 2-handed rods around 12' in length. The neat thing (to me) is that the Spey river area was just one of several in the area that had its own style of salmon wet-fly. The Dee river, as well as others all over the Aberdeen/ Inverness area (Eastern coast of Scotland) have their own styles, almost identical to the Spey fly with only mild modifications... The Dee fly typically has a down-throat of Jungle Cock or some other similar feather, the Invernesshire traditionally was tied with no thread but rather with wires (that later tarnished), and the Glasgow and Western-coast style of Scotish flies almost qualified as Irish Flies (Shh, never insult a Scotsman with that one!) as they had up-right wings similar to the Irish flies of the day with the flashy colors to boot. Which reminds me, Spey and 'Traditional' Spey flies were typically tied with whatever was native to the area -- that is, sheep's wool and feathers from dun/ drab colored birds. As such, traditional Spey- style flies were drab and not flashy like their Irish counterparts. Over time, however, the lines have muddled to the extreme that the Wet- Salmon flies of Scotland have been named for one of the two areas: Spey flies and Dee flies. Also, with materials becoming more and more colorful and available, these flies have been anything but drab! I could write all day about these, if given the chance, but I wanted to get out on the river after lunch today... Not my usual Spey flies that I use in the Lehigh River proper of Eastern PA, USA, but lil' panfish flies for today :) Full moon, and high tide at 12:30, so we'll see what bites. I have several books on the topic as they are my "thing", so I can scan some pages or suggest ISBN #'s of decent books to request from your local library. (Off List, of course, at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ). If you would like some hackle for comparison purposes, I can help with that also, but the 2 heron feathers I do have are from before the early-1900's regulations on endangered species, complete with papers, and I'd rather not part with them... but in any case, I do have a few very nice substitutes. Oddly enough, Ringneck Pheasant Rump has the similar webby-ness and fiber- length, but does not have the feather-stem length. Anyhow, I'll keep writing a book here if you let me, andf for the sake of those with slow download speeds for their e-mail, I'll leave this at that and offer more information off-list if need be. My favorite tyer of present day has to be Gerald Barsch (spelling?), who has a pretty good DVD out. If I recall correctly, it has the Purple perril, Lady Caroline, Orange Spey, and a few others on the DVD, and I *THINK* that Byard of Line's End has it available. VERY very good DVD on the subject, though his intonation is somewhat dry/ monotone as he reads from the cue cards that were obviously there for his benefit... :) If you can bear that and read into his suggestions for style, it has a lot to offer. Hope that helps you out, and tight wraps, Pete Gramp
