I spent 28 years as a Language Arts Teacher on the Navajo reservation
before retiring in Northeast Arizona. I’ve been tying for some twenty
five years.
Any fishing requires a three hour drive so I end up spending a lot
more time tying than fishing. I’m always amazed when the patterns I
concoct during the winter turn out to be successful.
I enjoy changing how materials are applied and mixing new materials
into traditional English and Irish patterns. The Paraloop and Twisted
Bumbles are examples. I use a lot of pheasant feathers, some for their
translucence, some for their iridescence and some for their mottled
colors. They strike me as a treasure trove of semi-exotic feathers for
the trout fisherman. Pheasant pelts can be obtained at about one third
the cost seen in catalogues by searching Google or looking in craft
shops.
My closest fishing is a small rehabilitated spring creek that rapidly
changes from waterfall to short pool to pocket water to riffles to six
foot deep sloughs. Adjusting weight on the line, indicators. or
droppers every few feet is not much fun. Instead I use weighted
patterns and manipulate the line to control depth and movement.
A combination of circumstances led me to start twisting different color
wires togethet for soft hackle bodies. I wanted to weight traditional
spider patterns , but keep the aesthetics of spider profiles. Seeing
some patterns with fuller bodies after tying some multi-colored Copper
Johns inspired me to twist different colored wires together for the
bodies. Then I applied it to some bumble patterns and then to nymphs.
Soft hackle flies are great producers but using the wires gave me a set
of flies that solved my weighting problem and have proven very
effective. The tiwsted wires are not as heavy as a beadhead but do sink
the flies quicker and impart more action when retrieved. Twisting
different colors of wire together achieves all kinds of subtle effects.
I think of it like blending dubbing materials together. The twisted
soft hackles have worked so well as suggestive flies that I haven’t yet
worked to match specific insects, except for some stoneflies.
When I lined the flies up I had to laugh. Together they look like a
plate from a 1950’s pattern book, not at all like modern U.S. patterns
with an emphasis on realism, brass beads, and foam.
My main resource for traditional patterns is Collins Illustrated
Dictionary of Trout Flies by John Roberts.
NOTES on Twisted Wire Bodies
Twisting:
1. Each strand is about 4 to 5” long
2. Grasp the strands together with forceps, then pinch the wires
between thumb and finger and start twisting, OR
3. Use forceps on end of wires and grasp the other end with strong
hackle pliers and start twisting. OR
4. If you are using (for example) 3 colors and two wires of each
color, cut twice as long, double the wire over a strong dubbing tool
and twist. I have a dubbit tool with a strong wire loop that keeps the
wires apart which stops them from breaking off.
Tying in:
Option 1 Tie twisted wires on top of hook if hook orientation is not a
problem.
Option 2 For winged flies tie in on the bottom of a larger hook in
order to preserve the hook gap. Tie a shorter body.
Option 3. For a slimmer profile tie the untwisted part of the wires
onto the hook.
Color Blends:
With all the colors that ultrawire provides there are a lot of
possibilities. At least to my eyes (I have no idea what trout think)
some colors go well together either as complements or contrasts. And
some don’t. I just have fun experimenting until I get what I want.
Here are some examples:
2 Florescent Orange,- 2 Hot Orange, and 2 Amber
2 Black, 2 Red, 1 Hot Orange and 1Silver
2 Brown and 2 Gold
2 Brown, 2 Amber, and 1 Gold
1 Bright Gold , 2 Fl Yellow, 1 Gold, and 1 Fl Orange
1Florescent Yellow, 2Tan, and 1Gold
Sincerely
R. S. Huntley