Sparse Grey Matter

I assumed A.J. McClane was referring to African Impala which is a bit longer and more translucent than calf tail. I'd love to see an original Cross Quack or the Dette Quack that mikevalla is referring to on page 32 of 'Founding Flies'. Put yourself in the mind of Reuben Cross given the task by Leona...

I think Schwiebert is also wrong stating: "Cross tied some using upright wings of calftail ....." According to The Practical Fly Fisherman by A.J. McClane, 1953, 1977. "Reub asked his supplier for any part of an animal with stiff, kinky, white hair. All the dealer could find was a half-dozen impala ...

Schwiebert says it was L.Q. Quackenbush who first conceived the upright hair wing, but his grandson informed me that his name was actually Leonard Charles Quackenbush. From 'Trout' by Ernest Schwiebert, 1978 "Hair-wing flies had their beginnings on the Henry's Fork of the Snake before the First Worl...

Hello narcodog, In very old fly recipies, where they state 'red' they mean brown, however, Flick probably called it a 'Red Quill' because he used the quill from a stripped Rhode Island Red feather. I like the look of a fly body made with a stripped natural Rhode Island Red feather, especially if one...

If it's called the Cahill Bivisible Spider and it was created in the 1930's, one would think that it would be a dry bivisible fly modelled on the wet Cahill. When where those old wet Cahill dark and light patterns adapted to the Cahill dry flies we see today? Would not the front hackle replace the w...

Love that body.
Is the quill over claret dubbing finished with a coat of clear?
Or, did you use something like claret coloured T/shirt ink (wiped back with a damp cloth) to fill the gaps between the quill and then, when dry, finish with a coat of clear?

For the dubbing loop on small flies use the finest thread you can find, something like Danville's Spiderweb.

Great technique JC.
It's easy, quick and it gives a more even length of barb than winding the feather like hackle.
You have me thinking of using the same method with other similar types of feather.

Alan

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j308/trouting/Extfurledbivis.jpg Hook: # 12 Gamakatsu C12 Thread: Clear Abdomen: 3 strand of peacock herl furled with a dark iron blue cock hackle Rib: Copper wire - locking in thorax hackle Thorax: 4 strand of peacock herl palmered with a dark iron blue cock hackl...

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j308/trouting/Katterman.jpg The above photo of a 'Katterman' (tied by Frank Kuttner) is from the Sparse Grey Matter Dry Fly Pattern Database, posted by catskilljohn. When I first looked at the photo, I thought the hackle tip tail was tied horizontal like a beaver t...