Why are they Different?

The original Speys, Dees and Tays were distinguished mainly by the slender, long shanked hooks, the materials used in the construction of the body, hackle and the wing, and often by multiple flosses and tinsels used in complex ribbing patterns, as well as by the arrangement and alignment of the wings themselves. Of course there were exceptions to these criteria, but those came to be more in later flies, not the early ones. The main criteria I will introduce here in the introduction though is the wing arrangement and the long hackles. All of them were simple strip wings, to use Pryce-Tannatt's vernacular. The Speys however were winged with a pair of bronze mallard (usually) strips, humped low over the body, producing an effect like a "keelless racing-boat placed upside down." Dees usually had a narrow strip of cinnamon or white turkey, tied horizontally, splayed wide in a V, and Tays, the best way to describe them would be to send you over to http://nwflytyer.wordpress.com/ and look at Monte's rendition of the Black Dog.
Most of them used either herons hackle, tied as long as possible, or Spey cock hackle. These days heron has given way to smaller hooks and Blue eared pheasant as a sub, and Spey cock is now schlappen, our best guess at what Spey cock was back then. There was a certain group of Dees that even used eagle thigh feathers or marabou(from the marabou stork), neither of which we can use today at all. Fortunately, turkey thigh 'marabou' is indistinguishable apparently from the real thing, so we have that covered also.
I shall show examples of all of these styles, with exceptions eventually as time allows for tying, writing and posting.
For those readers wanting a complete, in-depth, up to date history with tying instructions, of the Spey flies, I urge you to visit the best site I have seen for this: http://nwflytyer.wordpress.com/tying-notes/an-introduction-to-spey-flies/ It has everything.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Deschutes River Dees

Back when I was in college, in Olympia, Washington state, I became acquainted with the Deschutes River, which runs through town. ( Washington's Deschutes River) Seeing and hooking nice fish convinced me that this was a river to remember.  Ten years or so later, moving back to Olympia renewed my interest in the river and it's sea-run cutthroat trout, steelhead and salmon.  This was about the time everyone in the fly fishing community was buzzing about Spey flies and to a lesser extent Dees, so I decided to do a Dee/ Spey style fly for the Deschutes trout.  Not being satisfied with just one colour however, I eventually came up with ten, then later added the Red Special as the eleventh.  Characterized by a two part body, and the use of "truffle" turkey for the wing, with married in strips of various colour goose, these look good and fish well.  They have met with a good reception where-ever I have shown them.  They are a little complicated to tie however, so eventually I moved on to other patterns.  Browsing my files the other day however reminded me of the fun I had with these, so I thought I would share.  Pardon the photos.  They were taken with one of the first digital cameras on the market.  Not bad for an old camera.
Truffle turkey is a colour of turkey we bred that has a deep chocolate irregular mottling in the tail, with a lot of iridescence, quite unlike domestic or standard wild turkey on the market.  It is much darker, and reminds one of deep chocolate truffles, hence the name.


Pattern #1 Deschutes River Dee, Red
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: fine gold thread and claret silk 
Tail: topping and barred wood duck
Body: 4 equal parts Fiery orange SLF #16, Fiery claret SLF # 13, Fiery brown SLF#35, Black SLF# 41
Rib: oval gold tinsel
Hackle: black over all, guinea dyed red over front half
Collar: lemon wood duck
Wings: a pair of truffle turkey tail covert strips, tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping

Pattern 2 Deschutes River Dee, Blue
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: fine silver thread and canary yellow silk
Tail: topping and kingfisher
Butt: black ostrich herl
Body: in two halves; rear, flat silver tinsel veiled with two matched kingfisher side by side, above and below, butted with black ostrich herl. Front, darkest blue, almost black silk
Rib: oval silver tinsel over both halves individually
Hackle: guinea dyed blue
Collar: lemon wood duck
Wings: a pair of truffle turkey tail covert strips, with narrow strip of blue goose shoulder married through the middle, tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping

Pattern 3 Deschutes River Dee, Yellow
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: fine silver thread and chartreuse silk
Tail: topping and tippet in strands
Butt: black ostrich herl
Body: in two halves; rear buttercup yellow silk veiled above and below with yellow macaw in strands, butted with black ostrich herl.  Front, Black SLF#41
Rib: oval gold tinsel on both halves individually.
Hackle: guinea dyed yellow
Collar: peacock breast
Wings:  a pair of truffle turkey tail covert strips, with narrow strip of yellow goose shoulder married through the middle, tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping





Pattern 4 Deschutes River Dee, grizzled
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: flat silver tinsel
Tail: topping and barred wood duck
Butt: black ostrich herl
Body: in two halves, rear; flat silver tinsel veiled with oily black rooster saddle in strand, above and below, butted with black ostrich herl.  Front, Black SLF#41
Rib: oval silver tinsel, front half only
Hackle: natural black and white guinea
Collar: teal
Wings:  a pair of truffle turkey tail covert strips, with narrow strip of white/black/white goose shoulder married through the middle, tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping

Pattern 5 Deschutes River Dee, Peacock and Orange
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: fine silver thread and canary yellow silk
Tail: topping and tippet in strands
Butt: black ostrich herl
Body: in two halves, rear hot orange SLF#15, Front, peacock herl
Rib: oval silver tinsel over all
Hackle: hot orange over all, guinea dyed chartreuse over front half. 
Collar: peacock breast
Wings:  a pair of truffle turkey tail covert strips, with narrow strip of green goose shoulder married through the middle, tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping



Pattern 6 Deschutes River Dee, Sunburst
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: fine silver thread and canary yellow silk
Tail: topping and golden pheasant breast in strands
Butt: black ostrich herl
Body: in four equal parts, Hot orange SLF#15, Fiery orange SLF#16, Crimson SLF#17, Fiery claret SLF#13,
Rib: oval gold tinsel
Hackle: yellow over all, guinea dyed red from the Crimson SLF#17
Collar: lemon wood duck
Wings:  a pair of truffle turkey tail strips, with narrow strip of yellow/orange/red goose shoulder married through the middle, tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping


Pattern 7 Deschutes River Dee, Orange and Blue
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: fine gold thread and canary yellow silk
Butt: black ostrich herl
Tail: topping and kingfisher
Body: in two halves, rear orange silk veiled with golden pheasant breast in strands, butted with black ostrich herl. Front, peacock herl
Rib: fine gold thread over rear half, wound close (6 turns), oval gold tinsel over front half
Hackle: guinea dyed orange
Collar: golden pheasant back
Wings:  a pair of truffle turkey tail strips, with narrow strip of yellow/blue/orange goose shoulder married through the middle, tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping

Pattern 8 Deschutes River Dee, Yellow and Blue
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: fine silver thread and canary yellow silk
Butt: black ostrich herl
Tail: topping and kingfisher
Body: in two halves, rear canary yellow silk veiled with golden pheasant breast in strands, butted with black ostrich herl. Front, peacock herl
Rib: fine silver thread over rear half, wound close (6 turns), oval silver tinsel over front half
Hackle: guinea dyed yellow
Collar: cobalt blue vulturine guinea fowl
Wings:  a pair of truffle turkey tail strips, with narrow strip of orange/blue/ yellow goose shoulder married through the middle, tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping


Pattern 9 Deschutes River Dee, Gold and Green
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: flat gold tinsel
Butt: black ostrich herl
Tail: topping and golden pheasant breast in strand
Body: in two halves, rear; flat gold tinsel veiled with peacock rump in strand, above and below, butted with black ostrich herl.  Front, mallard green silk
Rib: oval gold tinsel over both halves separately
Hackle: guinea dyed yellow
Collar: lemon wood duck
Wings:  a pair of truffle turkey tail strips tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping

Pattern 10 Deschutes River Dee, The Godfather
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: flat silver tinsel
Butt: black ostrich herl
Tail: topping and kingfisher
Body: in two halves, rear; flat silver tinsel veiled with oily black rooster saddle in strand, above and below, butted with black ostrich herl.  Front, Black silk
Rib: oval silver tinsel over both halves separately
Hackle: natural black and white guinea
Collar: striped vulturine guinea
Wings:  a pair of goose shoulder strips married as follows; 2 strands black, 2 strands white, 2 strands black, 1 strand white, 1 strand blue, 1 strand white, 2 strands black, 2 strands white, 2 strands black
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping

Pattern #11 Deschutes River Dee, Red Special
Hook: Partridge N single low water size 1
Thread: black 8/0 uni-thread
Tag: fine gold thread and claret silk
Tail: topping and barred wood duck
Body: 4 equal parts Fiery orange SLF #16, Fiery claret SLF # 13, Fiery brown SLF#35, Black SLF# 41
Rib: oval gold tinsel
Hackle: black over all, guinea dyed red over front half
Collar: lemon wood duck
Wings: a pair of truffle turkey tail covert strips, with narrow strips married red/black/red goose shoulder in the middle, narrow strip of purple goose shoulder on the outside edge. tied flat
Cheeks: jungle cock drooping


Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Quilled Eagle

George Kelson writes of the Quilled Eagle "I rarely use any other  "Eagle"  but this, though I sometimes dress it with a yellow instead of a grey hackle."  He lists himself as the inventor.

 The Quilled Eagle - dressed grey, as per George M. Kelson
 
Tag: Silver twist and quill dyed yellow.
Tail: A topping, and two strands of Peacock herl (sword feather) of Bustard and Ibis.
Butt: Black herl.
Body: Quill dyed yellow, leaving space for four turns of orange Seal's fur at the throat.
Ribs: Silver tinsel (oval).
Hackle: A grey Eagle hackle, from centre.
Throat: Gallina (spotted feather).
Wings: Two tippets (back to back) veiled with extending Jungle, a strip of Ibis and Bustard, and a topping.
Sides: Jungle (to centre of former pair).

The Quilled Eagle - dressed yellow, as per George M. Kelson



Tag: Silver twist and quill dyed yellow.
Tail: A topping, and two strands of Peacock herl (sword feather) of Bustard and Ibis.
Butt: Black herl.
Body: Quill dyed yellow, leaving space for four turns of orange Seal's fur at the throat.
Ribs: Silver tinsel (oval).
Hackle: A yellow dyed Eagle hackle, from centre.
Throat: Gallina (spotted feather).
Wings: Two tippets (back to back) veiled with extending Jungle, a strip of Ibis and Bustard, and a topping.
Sides: Jungle (to centre of former pair).

The same pattern is found in Hardy, but not in Hale, who lists only one "Eagle," the Grey Eagle of a Mr. Murdoch.  I have not found the Quilled Eagle mentioned in any other of the old Masters. 

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Jock o'Dee

"How to Dress Salmon Flies," by Dr. T. E. Pryce-Tannatt lists only eight Dee flies, with two of them being found no-where else to my knowledge.  The Jock o'Dee is one of them.  Obviously based on the Jock Scott, this pattern is equally as lovely, in my opinion, though as he writes nothing about the pattern other then the actual pattern, I do not know if it was as successful as its parent fly. 

The Jock-o' Dee as per Dr. T. E. Pryce-Tannatt - How to Dress Salmon Flies, 1914

Tag: Silver tinsel.
Tail: A topping and Indian crow.
Body: Two-fifths, lemon floss; remainder, black floss.
Ribs: Flat silver tinsel and twist.
Hackle: A grey heron’s hackle from third turn of tinsel.
Throat: Widgeon.
Wings: A pair of cinnamon turkey tail strips (set flat).
Hook: 1½ to 3 inches.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

A Modern Spey fly - The Cockroach Spey

What inspired me to tie this was a style of winging I found in John Shewey’s book, “Spey Flies and Dee Flies, Their History and Construction.”  Frank Amato Publications Inc, Portland OR. 2002.  It is a take off on a style I first encountered tying the Syd Glasso Spey-style flies and having the hoodie available, thanks to a friend, I decided to see what it would inspire. 

The pattern is as follows:
Hook: Partridge CS10/1
Body: 2/3 flat copper tinsel, 1/3 black seal
Rib: medium oval copper tinsel, cross rib with fine gold tinsel over the hackle
Hackle: Blue eared pheasant all the way up
Throat: 2 turns black and white spotted guinea
Wing: four hooded merganser flank feathers tented low and wide
Cheeks: jungle cock, short
Head: red
       




Why I called it the Cockroach I do not know except that it does look buggy and at the time I was tying up imitation cockroaches for a costume.  I present two views of it in order to show how the wings should look, and because I think the photograph turned out pretty neat.  I can see this one tied with real black heron.  It would look even better I think.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

A Spey fly - The Dallas fly


The Dallas Fly, so named for a Mr. John Dallas, the inventor, is a pretty typical Spey fly.  It has a short body composed of Berlin wool, multiple ribs, and a hackle composed of black Spey cock.  The wing however sets it apart from other more typical Spey flies in that it is composed of strips of cinnamon turkey tail rather then bronze or grey mallard.  It also has a woolen head rather then the minuscule plain black one of the other typical Spey flies.

Kelson writes, “This capital fly on the Spey was christened by Mr. Little Gilmore. Like other local patterns, the body is short and begins a full 1/8 of an inch in front of the point of the hook. The description given is from a pattern forwarded by Mr. C. M. Burn's “Fisherman at Pitcroy;” and proved to be correct by one being sent to me by Dallas himself.”

The pattern I am showing here is from George M. Kelson’s “The Salmon Fly” and goes as follows:
Body: three turns of yellow Berlin wool, followed by black wool
Ribs: silver tinsel, gold tinsel (orange, narrow), red thread and blue thread, all running in equal distance apart.
Hackle: a black Spey cocks from the end of the body, but wound the reverse way and so crossing over the ribs.
Throat: a red hackle from the golden pheasant
Wings: two strips of plain cinnamon turkey
Head: orange wool, picked out. 

Contrary to the above pattern, but in accordance with Kelson’s own principles of fly construction, I have tied this one with the hackle running with the ribs, except for the fine gold thread, which runs over and across the ribs and hackle, thus pinning them down and helping to protect the hackle.  I do not think Kelson would mind this slight alteration given the superiority of the construction compared to the original pattern.  I am sure the fish won’t mind.

The pattern found in Hardy corresponds exactly with the pattern above.  Hale does not mention it and superficial examination of Francis Francis does not reveal it either.  Knox does not list it either.  There is a nice photo in Bates's, “Fishing Atlantic Salmon, the Flies and the Patterns.”. 1996, page 202, plate 75 showing a variation, but not listing a pattern for it.  The one shown has a tail and topping of golden pheasant crest, and a collar in red cock by the look of it, with what looks like a silver body and black ostrich butt.  The hackle is long and black though, as expected of a Spey fly.  I can not tell what the wing is comprised of, but there does not appear to be any colour in it.

Mikael Frodin lists this pattern in his book “Classic Salmon Flies, History and Patterns.” 1991, but does not add much beyond what I have written here about the details of it.

I would be interested to get a pattern for the Bates variation, and any other variations of this fly.

Friday, December 18, 2009

A Dee Fly - The Tricolour

The Tricolour.  This fly, from George M. Kelson's book "The Salmon Fly" is a typical Dee fly of the day.  Long shanked, slender in profile, with widely splayed wings of cinnamon turkey tail.  It's perhaps distinguishing feature is the long grey heron hackle, where the usual was a long black heron on most standard Dee flies of the time. 
Mikael Frodin in the "Classic Salmon Flies..." 1991, states that he is unable to determine any origins for this fly but that it "originates from the first two or three decades of the 19th century."  Of this I have no doubt myself.  I have perused the books and the web and likewise find little enough mention, and nothing really helpful.  It certainly has all the hallmarks of an older pattern like most of the Dees were.  The pattern is as follows:

The Tricolour, as per Kelson
Tag: silver twist
Tail: red breast feather of the golden pheasant
Body: yellow, light blue and scarlet seal's fur
Ribs: silver lace and silver tinsel
Hackle: natural grey heron from the blue fur
Throat: widgeon (teal in large patterns)
Wings: two strips of plain cinnamon turkey

The only other author I found to mention this pattern besides Kelson and Frodin was Dr. T. E. Pryce-Tannatt in his book "How to Dress Salmon Flies"
My third edition (the 1977 ed.) lists it as the Tricolor and has the pattern as follows:
The Tricolor, as per  Dr. T. E. Pryce-Tannatt
Hook: 1 1/2 - 3 inches
Tag: silver tinsel
Tail: topping and tip of a red breast feather of the golden pheasant
Body: pale yellow, light blue and scarlet seal's fur
Ribs: flat silver tinsel and twist
Hackle: natural grey heron from the third turn of tinsel
Throat: teal
Wings: (As in Akroyd) two strips of plain cinnamon turkey


A photo will be posted here soon of this albeit slight variation from the older Kelson version.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

A Spey Fly- The Davidson Spey

The Spey flies with their low slung wings of bronze mallard, and distinctive Spey cock hackles (usually, occasionally heron was used) were a group of flies often described as dowdy or dull.  That they retained a place in today's fly wallets, despite being nearly replaced over a century ago by the 'gaudy flies,' and being little remembered by the more modern masters (Knox lists 16 patterns for the Spey, who else since lists all 16, and how many others were there that didn't make it into text?) is interesting.   Peculiar to look at when compared to the gaudy flies, odd to tie, as often things are reversed from what was the usual pattern, and certainly not fancy, why have they been kept around?  Resembling a loose interpretation of a shrimp or prawn perhaps to a salmon, they are deadly.  When introduced to the Pacific Northwest steelhead, they were equally as lethal.  I introduce the Spey flies with my own pattern, the Davidson Spey


The Davidson Spey
There are several salmon flies listed by various authors named the Davidson, or the Davidson something or other.  This fly is not related to any of them.  This is my own creation, based on the colours of the Davidson tartan, and named in honour of a friend of mine, and the Davidson Clan to which she is related.

The Davidson Spey
Hook: Daiichi Alec Jackson Spey #1.5
Body: 3/5 dark green seal, 1/5 dark blue seal, 1/5 black seal
Ribbing: Broad flat silver, medium oval gold, with red floss over the flat silver.  Fine oval silver crossing the hackle
Hackle: oily black Spey cock, lemon wood duck at the shoulder
Wing: Bronze mallard with light grey roots

A Dee fly -The Tartan

Francis Francis presents two flies named the Tartan in his 1867 book, "A Book on Angling," and I have taken the liberty to quote directly from that book as follows:

"The Tartan (Plate XII. fig. l,p. 357) is a strange looking fly and is rather a troublesome fly to dress. Tag, gold tinsel; tail, gold pheasant rump; body, half orange and half scarlet-red mohair laid on sparely, of course; broad-ish gold tinsel also spare; hackle, first a stripped sandy-red cock's hackle (that is, only one side of it to be used, the other being stripped off), and on top of this, the large blue-grey hackle or feather from the heron's back and rump; the larger the better, they cannot be too large, as when the hackle is laid on, the fibres are expected to extend from the very head to the farthest bend of the hook. It is an awkward feather to lay on, as are all heron's hackles, being very delicate. It should be tied in, to commence from as low down as it can be conveniently tied, so as to leave enough for a good thick brush from the head. If in winding on the hackle, any of the red hackle fibres under it be wound in, they must be picked out afterwards with the needle, and put in their proper position. At the shoulder, a teal hackle of course. Wings, two strips of silver-grey mottled turkey (the small mottled feather); these feathers are not easy to get. When this fly is finished, and before it is properly pressed down into shape, it looks like an enormous spider, or daddy long-legs; it certainly is a monstrosity, though, after all, not such a monstrosity as The Eagle,..."

He goes on to describe several Eagle patterns there-after, and eventually I will get to them, in another post.  His second Tartan, a Tay fly is much different then the above, and one I have not tied yet, but will one of these days.  Again quoting from the man himself, or at least, his book; "The Tartan (Tay).—Tag, silver twist; tail, a slice of tippet and orange-yellow pig's wool; but, peacock herl; body, pig's wool as follows, orange, yellow, bright pea-green, red, and blue grey, dressed rough and picked out; broad silver tinsel; hackle gallina at shoulder; wing, slips of grey and light-brown turkey, sprigs of yellow, red, and lavender swan with a bunch of peacock herl over all; peacock head." 


Sir Herbert Maxwell also lists the Dee Tartan, his pattern being identical to that of Francis Francis, and seen at left.  His commentary on Dees however is most interesting. He says, "This is the Dee Tartan (the Tay boasts one of its own). It may be taken as the type of the old-fashioned Dee fly dressed on a very long shanked hook. There are endless modifications of them, the long heron hackles, both black and grey, being a conspicuous feature, and they used to be invariably finished off with a teal or pin-tail hackle at the shoulder. It is difficult to get feathers long enough in the fibre to wing these long hooks, and it was an ancient practice to tie in a second pair of wings half way down the body. Flies so dressed swim very nicely."

A Dee fly - The Moonlight

The Moonlight is in my opinion one of the most sublimely beautiful of the Dee flies.  It was designed by Dr. T. E. Pryce-Tannatt, and found in his book "How to Dress Salmon Flies," A & C Black, 1914.  The pattern is listed below:
Hook: 1 1/2 to 3 inches
Tag: silver tinsel
Tail: topping and a pair of Jungle Cock feathers (back to back)
Body: in two halves- first half, silver tinsel veiled above and below with a pair (or two pairs) of blue chatterer feathers (back to back); second half, black floss
Ribs: fine oval silver tinsel over the flat silver tinsel; broader oval gold tinsel over the black floss
Hackle: a black herons hackle over the black floss
Throat: speckled gallina
Wings: (as in the Akroyd)
From the Akroyd in Pryce-Tannatt,
"Wings: a pair of cinnamon turkey tail strips (set flat) White Turkey tail strips are often used,... in which case it is known as a White Winged Akroyd"
In this rendition I have used kingfisher as I simply do not have chatterer, and kingfisher is the accepted sub.