MORE QUESTIONS

Ron Higashiyama

I've come up with more questions to ask the membership. I'd like to see what solutions you have to these tying problems I've run across:

1. After awhile, the topping sags (I blame gravity) and droops past the tail. I've been very careful in nicking and tying the topping in, but it still eventually droops. It's especially frustrating after the fly is framed or domed. Is there any way to prevent this? Or does gravity always get its way?

2. My heads end up with a slant (some tyers call it a "slanting forehead"). I've learned to stagger my materials and I know that as you add materials (horns, topping, etc.), the "forehead" may slope. I've tried tying "back over", but this causes the wings, etc. to be forced down and change shape. Any solution to this?

3. I think I understand the reason a "roof" is added to the fly. Besides being decorative, the roof covers the "burn" marks left by the thread sliding over the wing. The problem I ran into is that the roof wants to "stand up" after I've tied it in. I work and shape the mallard, then use "soft" wraps to tie it in, but the far side tends to get pulled down. This causes the front to split and the roof tends to stand up away from the wing. What am I still doing wrong? Or is there a certain texture of the mallard needed when it is used?

4. I like the look of a full wing (24 or more fibers in it). This often causes the wing to be wider than the gap of the hook (I usually use a 4/0). Some tyers I've had critique my flies say this is too high and the width and height of the wing should be about the same as the hook gap. I'd like some feedback from the membership on this. Should I try to achieve the same width, or just go for what I like?

These are the questions I have. I'm sure I'll come up with more as my tying evolves. I hope we get a good response with answers from the membership.

P.S. The centerfold of the last "challenge" was fantastic (The Salmon Flyer, Vol. 5, #4). It was fascinating to see the diversity of interpretations that came from the pattern listed. The imagination of the individual tyers was fascinating. I tied the pattern to send in, but procrastinated long enough that I missed out. I won't miss the next challenge by Dave Paris. The flies that are tied in this next challenge should REALLY be interesting since Dave gave a loose guideline on what to do.