With some fear and trembling, i offer my first ever attempt at a Lady Caroline. I tie mostly for saltwater and smallmouth, which are both much less demanding than this sort of thing. The wing looked better before i trimmed the butts, and there are three ribs, but they're hard to see. Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated.
No need to fear anyone in this group. Great first effort. I have lost a lot of wing at the same point. Two things might help. Good sharp scissors. Dull scissors will pull on the tag ends before cutting. This causes a separation of barbs in the wing. Once the strip splits there is no getting it back. Also firm securing wraps. I will put a few extra wraps to set the wing then clip the ends. The extra wraps are then removed before adding the whip finish. This minimizes the number of wraps needed to complete the head. Keep up the good work.
And I don’t know if I totally agree with this. You are probably good at the saltwater and smallmouth flies because that is what you tie the most. From looking at your fly I think you have the skills to do them. You just need a little practice and you will be great.
Kevin, obviously you are a talented fly tyer if this is your first attempt. These things, like all other variations of a fly, take a little practice. Good work and keep'em coming! -Jamie
Sir, your fly is a great first effort & best is it will fish fine. I too was hesitant to post at first, but there is no place better. The members here are an invaluable resource for us beginners, but best of all, they are gentlemen.
You will see your skills increase in a very short time because of them. Never stop trying to tie better!
Thanks for the encouragement and the helpful tips, guys. Never thought about adding wraps before trimming and then unwinding them - seems so obvious once someone points that out.
I think the biggest thing I've learned about working with Bronze Mallard is that a lot has to do with getting the right feather. In every package of BM feathers you buy, there will only be a couple that really work well for each hook size. When you get the proper length wing slips, that allow you to tie them in right at the base, everything goes smoother. That said, don't waste this fly on a smallie, I want to watch it swim at some point!
Ah yes wing shift. Takes time. and very fine scissors! That's all. I know very good tyers and fishers who cheat like all get-out with Mallard on flies for the fishing box, everything from a hit of superglue after 2 turns have secured the second side, to laying a single sheet like a tent over the fly:chuckle:
The only advice a presentation tyer gave me that really helped, is just try to tie everything off on the bottom of the fly, to maintain a nice platform on top for the wing. After that you just have to find as many methods as you can in books or online, and figure out what works best for you. Pay attention to where on the slip you are tying in, and how it reacts. You'll learn to match your feather to hook size by the color change on the feather.
Very good first effort at a bronze mallard spey fly.
A few other tips to help keep the wing from splitting:
1) Hold on to the wing with your left thumb and forefinger when trimming wing butts to keep them from moving (I find this easier than adding extra wraps that then have to be unwrapped, but Marty's method works well too);
2) Make sure the mallard is tied in at the grey roots of the feather near the stem. Bronze mallard should always be tied in by the grey roots of the feather near the stem to keep it from splitting, unless you are tying a "rolled wing" wet fly for trout fishing. The only part of a bronze mallard feather that really is married to itself is the grey root of the feather barbs next to the stem.
3) Your wing is a tad too long. Spey fly wings should never go beyond the hook bend and are usually no longer than the hook barb. Pryce-Tannat wrote that spey flies are an odd looking fly with short bodies completely in front of the hook point, long flowing hackles that go beyond the hook bend, and curious humped wings that never go beyond the hook bend. The other masters of old wrote the same things about spey flies.
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