Mallard and claret....

[paulfish_1]

Trying to top up the wet box. This is out my comfort zone.

Tight lines
Paul

 

[Paul_B]

Thats another I do well with

 

[paulfish_1]

Aye it’s a good yin. Hardly of my leader when fishing wets.

Paul

 

[mackiia1]

Great fly on my rivers at dusk in June and early July.

 

[iainmortimer]

Trying to top up the wet box. This is out my comfort zone.

Tight lines
Paul

Don’t worry about the wing if that’s what’s bothering you because it looks fine - just the way they all do after bagging a few fish which that will almost certainly do!

 

[paulfish_1]

Don’t worry about the wing if that’s what’s bothering you because it looks fine - just the way they all do after bagging a few fish which that will almost certainly do!

Yeah Iain. I’m trying to get better at traditional wets but it’s really tough to get them perfect. Wings are hard haha. Like you say. I’m sure the trout won’t mind and I feel like I’m slowly getting there. I think it’s more feather selection I need to improve.

Cheers
Paul

 

[BobP]

The way I learned to use "soft" feathers like Mallard was to select out a good sized segment of the feather and hold it by the tips. Draw it down to line up the tips and then cut the section off. Then fold it in half and then fold again. Wriggle the tips into line if necessary. Then tie in and you should end up with a nice dense wing.

It's not an easy thing to describe, but that was the way I used to do it when I was tying commercially. I think there is a better description with diagrams in one of the Veniard books. The downside is that it is heavy on Bronze Mallard feathers. I was lucky to get two decent M & C's out of one good sized feather.

 

[kevinmac]

great fly Paul,fish food all the way.

 

[ACW]

The way I learned to use "soft" feathers like Mallard was to select out a good sized segment of the feather and hold it by the tips. Draw it down to line up the tips and then cut the section off. Then fold it in half and then fold again. Wriggle the tips into line if necessary. Then tie in and you should end up with a nice dense wing.

It's not an easy thing to describe, but that was the way I used to do it when I was tying commercially. I think there is a better description with diagrams in one of the Veniard books. The downside is that it is heavy on Bronze Mallard feathers. I was lucky to get two decent M & C's out of one good sized feather.

Bob the folded wing is well described pictorialy in falkuses seatrout book not the first edition i think !

 

[BobP]

My very first reservoir fish was caught on a M & C tied by my father. I was 14. Weir Wood Reservoir.

 

[banag]

Weir Wood, now sadly closed as, I believe, is Ardingly. The former where I caught my first trout on dry fly; the latter being dry fly heaven on its day.

 

[bigmaggie]

that brings back memories for me weir wood was where my father first started me trout fishing
many years ago

 

[ian1104]

Very nice!

I often sub the claret hackle for a black hen hackle..... tie the wing in first and wind the hackle in front of the wing.

 

[orias]

I would happily take a few of those off your hands Paul. A memorable fly for me. I caught a brace of grayling form the upper Wye above Rhayader must be 45 years ago now. I stalked them for over an hour trying different flies and putting them down several times. they both eventually came to a mallard and claret. It was a down on all fours job with a little cane brook rod. Of all the catches I've had in my life those two grayling hold quite a special memory.