Dusty Miller.

[wingman]

I think I've only tied this once before as I recollect so second time around for the Dusty Miller. This is the Veniard version which would be the Pryce-Tannatt version if it had horns. White Tip Turkey tail is not my favourite feather to work with but luckily few patterns use it as an under wing although there will be another two coming up from me in the near future that do use it. Tied at size 2/0 on a slightly altered (bend pinch with pliers) Mustad hook.

Dusty Miller.

Tag - oval silver and yellow floss.
Tail - GP topping and Indian Crow (sub used).
Butt - Ostrich herl.
Body - rear two thirds embossed silver tinsel and orange floss over front third.
Ribs - oval silver tinsel.
Hackle - golden olive cock hackle over front third.
Throat - Guinea Fowl. (Gallina).
Wings - White Tip Turkey tail, GP tail, Bustard, Florican Bustard, Goose dyed orange, yellow and red, Barred Woodduck & Teal (married), Bronze Mallard & GP topping over.
Cheeks - Jungle Cock.

​

Thanks for looking.

cheers

mark


.

 

[baca157]

Another stunning fly Mark. Is that a married wing tied tips down?

Did you get a new JC cape?

Cheers,
Sebastian

 

[wingman]

Another stunning fly Mark. Is that a married wing tied tips down?

Did you get a new JC cape?

Cheers,
Sebastian

Thanks Sebastian yes tips down wing. I haven't got a JC cape yet, been looking around but not much about just now so scraping the bottom of the barrel. Will keep looking though.

 

[JoeOh]

Beautifully tied fly. Is that a small painted eye on the head of the fly, I have a framed selection of mostly old Salmon flies, but this would put most of them in the pale.

 

[arkle]

Mark, give me a shout... f.f.i.

 

[seanie]

Superb tying Mark,

 

[wingman]

Beautifully tied fly. Is that a small painted eye on the head of the fly, I have a framed selection of mostly old Salmon flies, but this would put most of them in the pale.

Thanks JoeOh. I can see why you thought that but it is actually the reflection of the circular light tube from my maglamp which I position over the fly when I take the pic, no fancy lighting techniques or effects are used at all. I would have to mildly disagree although I appreciate the compliment old salmon flies are the real deal regardless of lack of finesse etc as they were tied more for function (many without the use of a vice) with a little artistic representation of course to attract the fisherman. For me personally I'm trying to reproduce flies from the past but in my own style but also keeping as close to the dressing (using substitutes where possible) and using traditional techniques as much as I can. It's also an ever evolving process as there's always new things to master and different ways to approach the various processes many of which can be picked up from other tiers.

Mark, give me a shout... f.f.i.

Thanks John will do.

Superb tying Mark,

Thanks seanie.

 

[JoeOh]

Thanks Wingman for the explanation of 'the eye'. The light reflection gave a better eye than I could reproduce on my lures before stick- on eyes became available.
My framed Salmon flies are important to me, they have been collected from various sources, many gut eyed and I am sure they could tell stories of fishing when I was a toddler or before.
But a collection of your traditional patterns would be awesome.
Though not looking to change my framed set.... as you said, they are history
Cheers

 

[JoeOh]

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[baca157]

Thanks Sebastian yes tips down wing. I haven't got a JC cape yet, been looking around but not much about just now so scraping the bottom of the barrel. Will keep looking though.

Unfortunately decent JC is getting more and more difficult to get these days. I am still ok but I have been hunting for a spare cape for some time now and can't find a good one anywhere. I don't mind paying more for a top quality but there doesn't seem to be any good ones around just now. Hopefully John will sort you out

I must try tying my wings tip down soon. I have been staying within my comfort zone for far too long.

Cheers,
Sebastian

 

[wingman]

Thanks Wingman for the explanation of 'the eye'. The light reflection gave a better eye than I could reproduce on my lures before stick- on eyes became available.
My framed Salmon flies are important to me, they have been collected from various sources, many gut eyed and I am sure they could tell stories of fishing when I was a toddler or before.
But a collection of your traditional patterns would be awesome.
Though not looking to change my framed set.... as you said, they are history
Cheers

Lovely set of flies JoeOh, I really like the sparseness of the tying in a lot of them, all that's needed really. I have a few originals myself to remind me how it should be done although not in a frame as yet.

Unfortunately decent JC is getting more and more difficult to get these days. I am still ok but I have been hunting for a spare cape for some time now and can't find a good one anywhere. I don't mind paying more for a top quality but there doesn't seem to be any good ones around just now. Hopefully John will sort you out

I must try tying my wings tip down soon. I have been staying within my comfort zone for far too long.

Cheers,
Sebastian

It's really hard to get hold of just now Sebastian but John's given me another to try so I'll let you know if they have anything decent but might be at a higher price. Tips down is not that different to tips up you just have to adjust the taper to the ends of the fibres on the natural feathers like GP tail and Peacock wing etc,. You can do it while the fibres are still attached to the feather by pulling the selected slip down towards the stem and then pulling them outwards so that the ends taper the other way then cut off. I do that method also for Woodduck sides like I showed in an SBS I did in the SBS section. You can probably get away with clipping the ends of the dyed Goose to get the reverse taper for that. Then marry fibres as usual. You will lose that nice marbling effect on the GP tail if it's the centre tail you're using so I sometimes use the side tail and save the centre tail for tips up wings although you'll still probably get blasted for using side tail unless the dressing specifically asks for it. But if you're tying say Blacker flies you can tie them tips down in strips so you don't really have to do all that reverse taper stuff and you don't marry the fibres together as the slips are stacked on top of each other for each wing i.e. one stack of slips for the near wing and one for the far wing which can either be tied in separately or altogether in one lump.

 

[tj hooker]

Lovely tying Mark the flys look great on those hooks if I see some on eBay I must give them a rattle I’d love to tie on some eyed hooks to be honest I’m not really getting the tips down method I’m just at marring stuff together as yet as Sebastian says we’ll get out of the comfort zone.

 

[wingman]

Lovely tying Mark the flys look great on those hooks if I see some on eBay I must give them a rattle I’d love to tie on some eyed hooks to be honest I’m not really getting the tips down method I’m just at marring stuff together as yet as Sebastian says we’ll get out of the comfort zone.

Thanks Grahame you can get hold of the older Mustad hooks if you look around although this one I'm using here is quite hard to find. You see alot of Mustad's on ebay from the US and unfortunately the shipping cost is pretty high but if you're getting 100 hooks might not be so bad. A certain Mr. Carne sent me these ones which I only have a few left. The shank actually rises up just before the eye so I use some pliers to carefully straighten it out but you have to be careful as you can snap the eye off with to much force. Mustad hooks have a certain bit of give in the wire so you can play around with the bend and point to get something looking a bit more tasty.