Sunday, June 5, 2016

Jury Duty And A 179 Year Old Spider

Last Thursday I was summoned to jury service. Any one who has gone through this process knows  that there are long periods of time with nothing to do. So I brought along the book "The North Country Fly" and found an interesting fly. This fly is interesting not in the materials used or the complexity of the tying, but in the time in which it was created. The fly is named "Royal Charlie" and created by John Kirkbride in 1837. Upon my not being selected to serve on a jury I went home and tied up "Royal Charlie".



The materials are few, Pearsall's Crimson Silk thread, fine wire, partridge hackle, and peacock herl. The only difficulty, at least for me is the tying and wrapping the peacock head.


The "Royal Charlie"
The completed fly. Just a thought, I think it will work as well without the peacock head.



22 comments:

  1. Alan
    That pattern looks simply, but the to the beginner like me it would be a task. Great work at the bench. Thanks for sharing

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    1. Bill Trussell
      Thanks
      Bill after you tied a few it would be like tying your shoes.

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  2. That looks perfect with or without the peacock I am sure it will prove to be deadly!!!

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    1. TROUTI
      Thanks
      Pete perhaps...have to try them out.

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  3. I agree on the peacock, but any fly that has the word " royal " in it has to have peacock in it, don't you agree. I love the bobbin, hopefully my next purchase for my silks.thats a neat tie Alan. See jury duty can be productive.

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    1. Brad Basehore
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      Brad peacock and royal an absolute must. The bobbins are a little overpriced so I only have two. And a productive day it was.

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  4. thank you for your kind comment yesterday, brk trt.

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  5. Well, for my two cents I also think that it's got to have peacock. I've never tried spiders before so I just might attempt some tonight.

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    Replies
    1. Howard Levett
      Thanks
      Howard, they're fun to tie and they work.

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  6. Alan,
    Well, a red body with partridge hackle sure works... I dont see how peacock or rib would make it worse :)

    Sweet looking little bug to drift Alan! Glad you were not "called" as well!
    Will

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    1. Hibernation
      Thanks
      Will, I followed the directions to the letter for the post, but I'll tie it differently. I fished it today and was hit several times.

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  7. Love the old wet flies. I am partial to a herled head on some flies....like it on this one a lot. Sorry you had to endure the JD selection process....never fun.

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    1. Ralph Long
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      Ralph it looks good but the ones I'll fish will be minus the peacock. Lot's of waiting.

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  8. Very nicely tied Alan - love those things!

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    Replies
    1. Mark Wittman
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      Mark I could sit for hours and tie those spiders.

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  9. Gotta love those soft hackles, Alan. They are real producers. Everyone should have them in their fly box. Regards, Sam

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    1. Parachute Adams
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      Sam I love tying them as well as fishing them. The book above has patterns galore, problem is a lot of the feathers used are no longer available...

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  10. Great looking fly. I like the peacock on it. Gives it an enhanced spider look. Will it work without it, most definitely, but maybe it'll catch the eyes of those bigger ones.

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    Replies
    1. Justin Carf
      Thanks
      Justin the peacock adds that fish appeal and that's why it was used....somehow trout key on that little bit of glimmer.

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  11. good story and we are always pleased to hear and read and learn from the first fishermen and fly tyers in their start years

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    1. Armando Milosevic
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      Armando I love the histories of fly tyers and their flies. It's part of what makes fly fishing so great.

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