On The Fly
July 2013
"Fly tying is a school from which we never graduate"
TYING NEWS
The Southern Oregon Fly Tyers invite you to attend their meetings the second Tuesday
of each month. The next meeting is September 10, 2013. The meetings start at 6:00 PM, at the Madrone Hill Mobile
Home Park community building near Gold Hill. Bring a friend, come early so you don't miss anything, and
stay late. Tyers need not be experienced, and those with all levels of skill are welcome. Each meeting a
member is encouraged to demonstrate a new or different skill, from simple to difficult. For more
information, call Dan Kellogg at 773-4724.
SOFT is closed for the summer. Go fishing!! We will commence meetings again this fall. We will start up again in September.
DIRECTIONS: Take Gold Hill Exit #40, off of I-5 and go west, toward Jacksonville, 1.3
miles, until you reach the brick entrance way to the Madrone Hill Mobile Home Park on the right. You’ll
pass a golf course parking lot on your left shortly after leaving the freeway. After you turn right into
the mobile home park, proceed to the community building which is located about 100 yards ahead on the left.
The address is 8401 Old Stage Rd. Please park your vehicle on the bare dirt in the parking lot to avoid the
wooden septic covers in the grass.
PATTERN OF THE MONTH –
The Delaware Adams 10-16 as tyed by Walt Dette
Hook: Mustad 94840 (I use Daiichi 1330 or 1310 depending if you want up eye or down)
Thread: White, finish head with black
Wing: Hen grizzly tips
Body: Med Olive wool yarn or dubbing (I still get original wool from the Dette’s Fly Shop
that has been open since 1935 in the same location, family owned) grizzly palmered thru wool
Tail: Grizzly barbs
As always, there are a lot of ways to “skin a cat”, but this is the easiest way for me:
I start with white or primrose (pale yellow) 16/0 thread. 2 eye lengths back from the eye I set my wing there measure on a gauge for that size of hook. I go to rear and set tail with same gauge tie in hackle and body material. I twist wool to make segmented body the palmer hackle forward. I set up my wings then hackle with brown and grizzly hackle. You can switch to black thread or mark about 3in of white w/black magic marker. Oh, you say, that is cheating. If you read enough old books you’ll discover that 98% black lacquered the heads made w/white thread.
I have studied the styles of past masters since I could read. Actually I was being taught these styles of both Irish, Scots, Welsh and American tyers, both US and Canada. My grandfather, an Irish master in his own right, loved to study the style of all tyers. He could see a tyers work and tell you who this tyer really admired. The pattern I chose for this month is not only historic, it was the last fly Walt Dette developed in the late 30’s to early 40’s. But when the green drakes come off around here at the end of this salmon fly season (right now!) it starts picking up fish. Also on the Metolious, Henry’s Fork, etc.
David E. Roberts