Conover

[David S.]

I found this pattern in Eric Leiser's "The Dettes" and thought I'd give it a go. You can find the recipe in the "Dry Fly Pattern Database". Mine has no seal fur in the body, only muskrat and red wool.
/David S.

[narcodog]

I think it needs more red. At least the dubbing from Joe has more red in it. Looks darn good though

[Eperous]

Nice David... I agree with Narco, needs a tag more red... I started tying these a few years ago after picking up dubbing from Joe Fox... the first trout I ever caught on a Conover was a little wild brook trout in the boulder lined Conway River in the Blue Ridge Mountains of SNP...

Ed

[David S.]

Thank you Narcdog and Ed, looking at some more pictures I find that you are absolutely right I mixed up a fresh batch of dubbing with some more red in it and had another go. This time the dubbing is muskrat, red wool and some red seal fur.
/David S.

[Allan]

Guys,

I think David's first attempt at this fly was excellent. The dubbing on his first appears more in line with what the Dettes used as described by Eric Leiser in the book, The Dettes. In fact, the dubbing is described as: "Muskrat and red wool blended to a heathery claret gray"(p 194). This seems to mean that the dubbing is more gray then it is red. Otherwise the description would be in reverse. As another piece of proof for my contention about the color, see the photo of the Conover in the color plate section of the book. It appears that the dubbing is significantly more gray than red. This is similar to the color David used on his first attempt.

Allan

[catskilljohn]

I like them all! I am sure just like every fly, some variation is inevitable when reading dressings from books, and Dave did a fine job on these flies [like all the flies he tyes!].

Here is the one I consider the standard, tyed by a Dette, and within easy access of all here...

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=693

CJ

[Jim Slattery]

Absolutely great flies and pics!
Now I could be wrong but I think the color mix for the dubbing is something like 50% Grey 30% red and 20% cream
Jim

[Eperous]

I'm been busy of late, like all winter, but I tied a few Ralph Hoffman wet flies this evening for our TU dinner/fund raiser this Saturday... as long as I was at the bench, I thought I'd like to rejoin this conversation about a classic Catskill dry fly...

Here's some dub I purchased from Joe to tie Conover's...



And, here's a Conover I tied this evening on a #12 Mustad 94840 hook:



Ed

[David S.]

Thanks very much Ed, that picture is a great help. It looks like I wasn't to far off the original in my second attempt. Perhaps my mix needs a bit more grey.

/David S.

[mikevalla]

Let me chime in.....
"
>Again, my mantra: "What tier, what era, what year..and in this case, "what mix". As is true with all things, a fly tied one year might vary a bit in shade form examples tied 40 yerars later--or 70 years later.

Late 1930's: Here's an actual Conover body section, from a Dette tied fly, late 1930's. Sunshine-exposed flies, of course, can fade colors a bit.




Photo Below
1972

This Conover was dropped into my hands by Winnie, at her tying bench, in June 1972. Notice the shades of that era--or at least that time of year--week--or day.


And here are some of my own observations with the mix:

- Batch mix: When I mix my own batch, which has a bit of cream, sometimes a bit of seal, a bit of claret and muskrat, it varies batch to batch; I have to tweak it as I do my mixing. and adjust. The muskrat I used 5 years ago--or thirty-five years ago--might vary in shade a bit, lighter or darker.

-The dubbing mix pinch-off: Sometimes, if tying a small fly, I'll pinch off a bit of the dubbing mix that doesn't represent what I had in mind, shade wise. The small, random piece of dubbing pinched from a big batch might have too much claret-red in it, to my liking. Even if well-mixed (using my own antique methods) it's not entirely homogenous; you can come across a big piece of claret in your small dubbing pinch. Not always, but it happens enough.

I don't care who the tier is...their fly shades vary a bit over time. For example, I shot Flick-tied Quill Gordons yesterday--from different eras. Much different shades really.

-MV

-