Skunked Flies

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Felt good to get back to the vise for awhile. And I got to really experience the advantages of one of my Christmas presents, wireless headphones. I could sit on the other side of the room and listen to music without a long cord wrapping around my neck or yanking the headphones off my head when I leaned down to get into a drawer.

I was rusty. But trusty. I plugged away. I started with a long buggy shellback design. I still have confidence in these nymphal boys. The shellback is a basic trout design, but I think it could attract Steelhead in the same way a stone fly nymph does. Here's hoping. I tied this on a #8 4X streamer hook.

Then I went after the Skunk fly pattern. I have less confidence in these; maybe I'll just call them Skunked flies.
As usual, I use what I have and make adjustments as necessary--or as they occur to me suddenly in the fever of the creative process. And then there are those changes that are simply accidents or the result of laziness. I forgot the tail on this one, and the wing looked a bit heavy after I had secured it but I didn't take the time to unwrap and thin it out. But I think it works with the marabou collar.

This one got a tail, and I took pains to make the wing sparse. Pretty nice.

I tied both of these on a #6 salmon hook, and I weighted them pretty good.
It occurs to me that I tie like I fish: I get a basic idea of what I'm going to do, based on certain acquired skill and knowledge, and then just throw something out there and see if it works. And I never really know if a tie works until I get out there and fish it.
That's next.