Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

Over the past few years, I have tied more and more dryfly imitations of
mayfly duns with variations of quill bodies. I use the word mayfly for
generics, not just the large fly by that name as Europeans use it. My
reasons for the move to quills was twofold: A slender, realistically
segmented body could be created and lighter colors remained true when wet.
The variations I have tried include, peacock quill(bleached and
dyed),stripped and dyed hackle quill,
bleached and dyed peccarry, turkey biots and plastic
'pseudoquill' types. Right now, I have sort of settled for using turkey biot
for most patterns, due to good availability, durability and ease of use. Any
others with input on this?
Tom

--
"The last one, I wont reply to you again, because there is simply no point
in doing so, nor will I post to either of the groups again.

Mike Connor"

8/3/08 7:30 pm EDT

Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

"Tom Littleton" wrote in
news:mVYlk.308$7N1.28@trnddc06:

Over the past few years, I have tied more and more dryfly imitations
of mayfly duns with variations of quill bodies. I use the word mayfly
for generics, not just the large fly by that name as Europeans use it.
My reasons for the move to quills was twofold: A slender,
realistically segmented body could be created and lighter colors
remained true when wet. The variations I have tried include, peacock
quill(bleached and dyed),stripped and dyed hackle quill,
bleached and dyed peccarry, turkey biots and plastic
'pseudoquill' types. Right now, I have sort of settled for using
turkey biot for most patterns, due to good availability, durability
and ease of use. Any others with input on this?
Tom


AK Best was big on this in AK's Fly Box. It was a lovely book, but I gave
it away at a Clave Raffle, as the tying style didn't really appeal to me at
the time (also, there's only so many ways to write "use a quill body" to
fill up a book, so I found it a tad tedious). Perhaps I should revisit it.
I still tie a quill body midge with a Z-wing wing tied flat back on a size
24 hook that works quite well.

One problem is that the quills tend to break, with bits splintering off as
you wind them, if they're dry. Soaking them for a while in water with a
few drops of hair conditioner takes care of this.

--
Scott
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Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

"Scott Seidman" wrote in message
. 1.4...
AK Best was big on this in AK's Fly Box. It was a lovely book, but I gave
it away at a Clave Raffle, as the tying style didn't really appeal to me
at
the time (also, there's only so many ways to write "use a quill body" to
fill up a book, so I found it a tad tedious). Perhaps I should revisit
it.
I still tie a quill body midge with a Z-wing wing tied flat back on a size
24 hook that works quite well.

One problem is that the quills tend to break, with bits splintering off as
you wind them, if they're dry. Soaking them for a while in water with a
few drops of hair conditioner takes care of this.

good advice at the end, Scott! As for Best, why he insists on using the
biots so that a fuzzy rib shows eludes me. When tied on, concave side down,
the biots come out smooth, with a subtle segmentation that can be made a bit
more prominent with a coat of cement. So tied, you have the sturdiest quill
I know of.
Tom

--
"The last one, I wont reply to you again, because there is simply no point
in doing so, nor will I post to either of the groups again.

Mike Connor"

8/3/08 7:30 pm EDT

Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

"Tom Littleton" wrote in news:YhZlk.221$_H1.139
@trnddc05:

good advice at the end, Scott! As for Best, why he insists on using the
biots so that a fuzzy rib shows eludes me.

I think the fuzzy rib might trap an air bubble or two. I'm not so sure it
makes a diff, but it always convinces the newbies at demos that you know
what you're doing when the fuzzy side ends up the way you intended it to!!
Remember, reverse the notch on the biot for lefty tiers.

Harry Mason has a beautiful biot caddis that I like tying fuzzy rib up.
Talk about a full dress caddis!! Really nice.

--
Scott
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Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

"Scott Seidman" wrote in message
. 1.4...
I think the fuzzy rib might trap an air bubble or two. I'm not so sure it
makes a diff, but it always convinces the newbies at demos that you know
what you're doing when the fuzzy side ends up the way you intended it to!!

exactly my point......caddis trap air bubbles, but from all I have ever
seen, duns do not. Also, the effect of the fuzzy ribbed biot is to fatten
the body, exactly the opposite of why I'd use a quill body in the first
place.

Harry Mason has a beautiful biot caddis that I like tying fuzzy rib up.
Talk about a full dress caddis!! Really nice.

I've had a sample of that one in my tying room display for years. Possibly,
the first biot pattern that I really ever gave a good look to.


--
"The last one, I wont reply to you again, because there is simply no point
in doing so, nor will I post to either of the groups again.

Mike Connor"

8/3/08 7:30 pm EDT

Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

"Tom Littleton" wrote in
news:D3_lk.301$mP.160@trnddc03:

Harry Mason has a beautiful biot caddis that I like tying fuzzy rib
up. Talk about a full dress caddis!! Really nice.

I've had a sample of that one in my tying room display for years.
Possibly, the first biot pattern that I really ever gave a good look
to.


Speaking of caddis and air bubbles, you ever try my woven CDC caddis??
I've got that one really down now. Jay Peck
(http://www.jaypeckguides.com/main/) here, at Coleman's fly shop (meow!)
asked me for ten dozen after I gave him a half dozen, but I don't have the
wherewithal to tie that kind of volume.

--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

Scott, that is a sweet caddis tie. I noted it a while back, and, if my
personal stash of caddis imitations ever drops under, say, 800 flies, I may
tie up a few to add to the pileg
Tom
--
"The last one, I wont reply to you again, because there is simply no point
in doing so, nor will I post to either of the groups again.

Mike Connor"

8/3/08 7:30 pm EDT

Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

"Tom Littleton" wrote in
news:il_lk.231$_H1.173@trnddc05:


Scott, that is a sweet caddis tie. I noted it a while back, and, if my
personal stash of caddis imitations ever drops under, say, 800 flies,
I may tie up a few to add to the pileg
Tom

Go for it!! A little Frog's Fanny, and a bit o' weight to pull it under,
and you've got a caddis encased in a beautiful real air bubble, like what
LaFontaine tried to imitate in the Sparkle Pupa.

CDC and Frog's Fanny on nymphs is a KILLER.

--
Scott
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Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

"Scott Seidman" wrote in message
. 1.4...
CDC and Frog's Fanny on nymphs is a KILLER.

yup, in fact, Frogs Fanny(or generic) is good on a host of subsurface
patterns, especially loop-dubbed nymphs and wets.
Tom
--
"The last one, I wont reply to you again, because there is simply no point
in doing so, nor will I post to either of the groups again.

Mike Connor"

8/3/08 7:30 pm EDT

Quill-bodied mayflies...
 

"Tom Littleton" wrote in news:Ze%lk.227$EL2.222
@trnddc01:

yup, in fact, Frogs Fanny(or generic) is good on a host of subsurface
patterns, especially loop-dubbed nymphs and wets.

But the generic doesn't have that lovely picture of a frog.

--
Scott
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