Spruce Fly

I am a bit slow at my tying bench. Mostly because all the flies are ready in my boxes. Instead I always improve my tying skills, inspect materials, and get back to books. One of those flies that I had passed or couldn't tie before was Spruce Fly. It is interpreted as wet-fly or streamer. Either way it is my favorite way to fish. Yet, I just added some soft-hackle looking.

Not truly following the general recipe, but I believe these two of my ties look good and will be swung in Madison River in the fall. I used red floss instead of yarn or dubbing and curved hooks as often used in soft-hackle patterns. Also for the left one, I used the butt end of saddle hackle as in Soft Hackle Streamer.

With a black finished TMC 700 on my Regal vise, I went out of the proportion as suggested on purpose. It is more like a salmon/steelhead fly that I often see in magazines. I just swam it in a salad bowl in my kitchen with running tap water. It kept the skinny silhouette yet pulsed under the waters. And then, Oh Yes, red floss and peacocks herl body looks very fishy under the water as proven by Royal Wulff. I didn't cement the head. I applied bees-wax on thread and then whip-finished.

This is why I'd rather interpret this as a soft-hackle and keep them in my large soft-hackle boxes. I can't wait till I swing this fly at Madison in the fall.

Also, I am getting ready for my June trip to West Yellowstone before the fall. Of course, I wanted to go to Yellowstone in July or August. But my work schedule wouldn't let me go. Yet it sounds like there are lots of playing cards around late in June and I'm sure I'm gonna like it. What I mean are : not quite a peak season for visitors, last shot before Firehole and Gibbon get warmed up, and Salmon-fly craziness along Madison.