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SALON - DECEMBER - Winter's Hope

6K views 43 replies 15 participants last post by  Richard Torres 
#1 ·
READ THIS POST FIRST: Salon Rules and How This Works

Deadline - December 31st

Theme - Winter's Hope

Please do not be constrained by the obvious link to Bill McMillan's classic fly pattern. While copies or reinterpretations of that pattern are a fine example of tying for this theme, there could be other interpretations completely unrelated to that fly pattern. After all, he had to be thinking about something when he first named it... A less-than-literal approach is the whole point of this thing.

Other adjudicators can decide on the 'winner' however they like but for me, it'll be the fly that teaches me something or makes me want to get back to my tying desk.

Make sure to post the photo and info about your fly as a response in this thread.

Good Tying!

Thomas
 
#4 ·
View attachment 46092

Thomas Great Idea ! it's like being in a swap but only having to tie one fly

here is my version
Winter's Hope

Its a black and white fly like a snowy day

Alec Jackson hook size 10
tag silver tinsel
Black ostrich herl
silver holographic tinsel
white wire
white hackle
guinea fowl hackle
white skunk hair wing
jungle cock nail overwing
jungle cock nail eyes
white thread
 
#9 ·
Here is my take on the Winter's Hope.

I was out fishing the HOH other day when the sun started to set on the snow covered Olympics. It was a clear cold evening and the colors as the sun hit the snowcovered peaks went from white to orange to pink, against the light blue sky.
 
#13 ·
I don't live in steelhead country. So winter hope for me means bonefish flies or trout flies that work well in icy conditions.
This is my rendition of Willy Self's Lazer Midge. It's the best winter fly I know. This is a medium-sized Lazer Midge tied on a #10 scud hook. But they work well on winter spring creeks too, tied all the way down to #20.



Not much to it. Edge Bright, black wire, Peal Ice Dub and a bead. This is a deadly fly. Make no mistake about that.
 
#14 ·
I couldn't decide if I wanted to tie a winter's hope or an intruder; here's what indecision and a couple of whiskey's will get you.

I though about calling it "Hopeful Intruder" but for some reason, it reminds me of King Julien, the lemur king, in Madagascar so maybe "King Julien" what do you guys think, open to other suggestions too.

 
#16 ·


Here is my take on the Hope. The Alec Jackson hook changes the look and because it is a finer wire would not fish like the original, but it fishes just fine on a tip. A smaller hair winged version accounted for a number of my first steelhead on a fly, so this color combination has always been a favorite.

Winters Hope
Hook: 3/0 Alec Jackson
Body: Silver flat tinsel
Collar: Blue and purple hackle
Wing: Two yellow hackle tips enveloped by two orange hackle tips.
Over wing: olive calf tail
 
#24 ·
It's not a democracy... ;)

Marty's fly is beautiful but a copy of the original pattern is probably the last thing I'll choose as a winner. From my original post on the theme:

Please do not be constrained by the obvious link to Bill McMillan's classic fly pattern. While copies or reinterpretations of that pattern are a fine example of tying for this theme, there could be other interpretations completely unrelated to that fly pattern. After all, he had to be thinking about something when he first named it... A less-than-literal approach is the whole point of this thing.

Other adjudicators can decide on the 'winner' however they like but for me, it'll be the fly that teaches me something or makes me want to get back to my tying desk.
 
#19 ·
Here is my version of the Winter's Hope fly. It works good in deep holes and is great for moving stubborn fish. I usually flatten the barb. I tie it with a silver tag although the fly's effectiveness seems be the same with or without a tag. I am working on a low water version and even a dry fly version (a Thumpy). Merry Christmas.
 
#27 ·
Hopefully, we get a few more entries. Still a week to go...

Here's my 'non-scoring' entry and explanation:

I've never caught a wild, native winter steelhead, only hatchery fish for me so far. My hope is that I change that fact this season with a fish from one of the coastal rivers of the Olympic Peninsula. As I wrote in my blog here, it's my favorite place to be. What would make that experience even better would be to catch that fish on a 'classic-inspired' pattern of my own design. So here's one of the initial prototypes for that fly.

I have been reading a lot of Roderick Haig-Brown's writing over the last couple seasons so the goal was to tie something that he or his British Columbia contempories would recognize as a 'killing fly' for PNW steelhead. Another strong influence in the pattern was the work of a fellow known as 'whiskeyjin' over on the speypages website, especially the use of a synthetic underwing and shrimpy profile.

My winter's hope is to catch a native OP steelhead on this pattern or a close variant. Given the influences noted above and my 'Bama-bred predilection for a particular libation, I've named it the Bourbon Prawn.

 
#30 ·
Okay I will add one.

http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/gallery/showfull.php?photo=47425

The Blue Charm, a fly Roderick Haig Brown states:

"For greased line fishing only two flies are necessary, the Blue Charm and the Lady Caroline".

To be more accurate, the tail on my fly should be Golden Phesant Crest. I only had available Phesant Tips.

I feel this fly exemplify's winter colors so I used it- Blue resembles ice and blue sky mornings, orange shades resemble sunrises and sunsets.

I will try to post the fly that shows more.
 
#32 ·
Thomas, thank you for a very creative tying opportunity. Winter's Hope used to mean standing in a river waiting for the pulse of steel on the end of my line. I enjoyed the solitude and remember one morning on the Sky with snow flakes the size of potato chips falling. Winter's Hope has now followed me to the saltwater where I spend most of my angling hours. Winter's Hope now congers images of large Coastal Cutthroat or Resident Coho aggressively hitting my fly. I took Bill McMillan's colors and converted them to a flat wing tube fly. I tied the fly two ways, first without weight so that I can skate it on the surface with a floating line. I then added a ProTube Orange Cone to allow the fly to fish subsurface. My hope is that tomorrow I will have my flies rewarded with willing fish on Hood Canal.

Happy New Year.
 
#34 ·
The Blue Charm was hidden behind a link. I found it. Put it there.
http://montana-riverboats.com/index.php?fpage=Fly-Tying/Winters-Hope/Blue_charm.jpg

How does this owrk? Do we vote? Can we vote for our own fly?
I wouldn't vote for mine anyway. Too many other good ones.

Remember the movie Putney Swope? Where the board of directors (of the TV advertising agency) weren't allowed to vote for themselves, so they all voted for the token black guy, thinking no one else would. He ended up chairman of the board.

Made a zillion dollars doing racy commercials. Not sure how any of that relates to fly tying. But it reminded me of it. Somehow.
 
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