Thursday, October 4, 2018

North Country Flies...Classics With A Twist

North Country flies need no additives, their simple lines using but silk and feather have endured for a long time. I want to tell you about a modern treatment I use on a couple of these North Country patterns. Myself like many other fly tyers like to use dubbing in one form or another on the the North Country flies. The dubbing tied in as a thorax or as part of a sparse body. Several materials are common on these flies including hares ear, and mole both of which are great and very easy to work with.

I would like to share another dubbing I love to use on these North Country flies. It's called SLF, synthetic living fiber. The material is squirrel mixed with a touch of sparkle. It is friendly and not obnoxious to work with. Many of the spider patterns call for a sparse dubbed body and SLF can be used in way that you can almost let it fall on a waxed silk forming a very seductive and effective fly.


A pattern I love to tie and fish. The Partridge and Olive. Olive silk thread and a whispy SLF body.



Partridge and Orange using bleached ginger SLF for the thorax


Partridge and Yellow, this fly also uses bleached ginger for a thorax.







17 comments:

  1. Good morning Alan, Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about finding fish. I believe those patterns, in the right hands could be of great assistance. What do you think Alan?

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    1. John Dornik
      Thanks
      Again John you come up with the right lines.
      And those flies failed me today...

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  2. Alan, thanks for the hot tip, and I'll look into SLF further. I to like to add some kind of shoulder for spidery type flies, and especially with partridge. Every time I see one of your flies tied with silk floss, I think to myself, "When the hell am I going to buy some silk"?

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    1. Matt Harding
      Thanks
      Matt you'll like the SLF, it comes in some great colors.
      I like silk thread for my spiders and soft-hackles.

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  3. Hi Alan
    Wonderful tying once again, nice slim bodies with a very light touch of dubbing, beautiful simplicity personified.....
    I would feel confident in a good day ahead with any of those patterns on my leader.
    Alistair

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    1. Alistair Corbishley
      Thanks
      Alistair as I told John not a productive day today with any of those flies, I don't know why. But there's always tomorrow.

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  4. I love the flies that you tie, Alan; they have a special grace. Our season ended Sunday and I spent the last hours swinging a little #18 Starling and Green. It had just a hint of a SLF thorax, too. At last light I picked up a nice 10" Brookie with it to end the season.

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    1. mike
      Thanks
      Mike it's a sad thing your season ending. Hopefully you can find another passion to fill your time. A nice ending though. Your were able to catch a 10" brookie and on a classic fly.

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  5. Alan,
    As always, your tying is exceptional! I am particularly drawn to the very first pattern you have listed, Partridge and Olive! The way in which you "dust" the dubbing onto the waxed (I presume?) silk and make it look the way it looks.....is awesome! I know of a few men who can do what you have done here and now, you are included in that bunch! Unfortunately, I was dropped on my head as a youth wrestling with my older brother and I cannot seem to make dubbed bodies like you have shown here!
    Very well done Alan! I like what I see! There is much to say about a shoulder of dubbing behind a well marked hackle at the crown of a fly! It makes it look more alive!
    Doug

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    1. Dougsden
      Thanks
      Doug that 'dusting" technique can be a pain at times. The wax is a key, I use Rumpf extra tacky. The dusting is easier when I do it at night, the reason being is by then I've had many cups of coffee and the caffeine causes the fingers to shake....That slight dub makes fish go wild at times.

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  6. Very nicely done Alan, those are classics indeed!

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    1. Mark Wittman
      Thanks
      Mark they do get the job done today as they did years ago.

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  7. Beautiful flies, Alan. No one ties those classics better than you. Best Regards, Sam

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    1. Parachute Adams
      Thanks
      Sam you are very kind.....one down. Like what happened in Fenway.

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    2. Sox hung on, Alan, despite shaky middle relief. I would love to see the Sox win again tonight and go to NY up 2-0.

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  8. Alan, your flies are beautiful as always. I also tie a lot with slf. That slight touch of sparkle with the natural movement of the dubbing is a great trigger to an already effective fly . Those those three patterns have caught lots of fish over the years. I also want to say the black ghost at the bottom is fantastic. Beautifully done. Thankyou.

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    Replies
    1. Brad Basehore
      Thanks
      Brad your so right on that SLF, and it's easy to work with. Fishing today with streamers I tied into one hell of a brook trout on a black ghost marabou. He broke me off taking the streamer with him.

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