There comes a time when your creativity takes you beyond the rules and the urge of tying brings you to a nervous breakdown. It is not as if there is not enough patterns already existing to challenge your skills, and God knows there is a number of patterns that meet the challenge criteria. Also, It is not as if you wanted to do "The" Green Highlander. No, this is not your quest, as I presume that such a fly is not yet tied and probably won't be. Of course you can say that you have seen the most beautiful fly, and I will believe you, having myself seen the most beautiful fly. Beauty lives in the eyes of the beholder...

What I am alluding to here is the special urge that takes you to "innovate", or to attempt a new approach in the world of Salmon Fly tying. I am not talking about inventing, since this has been done way before us the very first time somebody, somewhere tied a feather on a hook!

So you are standing in front of your vise and feel a bit funny. No, you are not going to tie your 9th Jock Scott or your 3rd Popham, and no, you are not inclined to do another Kelson, Hale, or whoever's pattern. This is a very natural feeling that anybody involved in Salmon Fly tying gets at least once in his or her life.

This feeling came to me long ago and I never have been able to satisfy it. That is, until I discovered Hybrids. I am very keen on fully dressed flies, and I became very partial to Spey flies, especially the ones tied by Bob Veverka. The look of his flies reminds me of what, in the kitchen of the "gourmet restaurant", we call: organized mess. You know, those dishes that look almost too good to be eaten, a profusion of colors and textures that looks like they were just tossed around ... In fact everything is thought out and each component of the dish is intended to be exactly what it looks like, the whole thing is the result of precise work (that explain the $$$ bill at the end of your meal!). So, also, are Bob Veverka's flies. Look at his Speys, they are alive, breathing and flowing all over the inside of Judith Dunham's book!

So, I decided to combine the characteristics of both flies. I tried to elaborate a body that will mix fine floss work, fancy ribbing and bushy, mixed colors and seal dubbing. I also like to use toppings or Coq de Leon feathers as hackle, this gives special light in the dubbing, then I use Colored spey hackle. The wing construction is similar to a fully dressed fly, with small amounts of married strips of the classic materials; but the wings are set as flat as possible as in the Dee style. What inspired me was John Van D e r h o o f ' s "Moonlight". I haven't yet tried to add shoulders or roofs to it but the idea is definitely tempting me. However I do add cheeks to the Jungle Cock, set low as the tradition wants it! I finish the fly with a collar style hackle. The general idea of the hybrid is to give a "three dimensional effect" to a fully dressed fly and to obtain a more "fancy" spey. It also gives a lot of freedom to one's own creativity and breaks the rules that can smother you from time to time.

Here is the dressing for one of my hybrids: "The Bopp-Hale", named for that beautiful comet (Hale-Bopp - ed.) that recently lit up the night skies of this past spring (see cover photo).

Tag: silver tinsel, white floss, a few strands of pink and light blue floss into it.
Tail: topping and purple cotinga (throat feather of chatterer)
Butt: gray ostrich herl
Body: first half of pale blue silk, gold and silver tinsel on each side. Second half of cream, light blue and light pink angora goat, well mixed and picked out, ribbed with silver lace.
Hackle: a topping over the seal
Throat: gray heron
Wings: argus pheasant, white and light green turkey, scarlet macaw, peacock and Amherst pheasant.
Cheeks: Indian crow
Collar hackle: Malay peacock pheasant body feather, 2 or 3 turns depending on the feather.
Head: ostrich

Next time you get this funny feeling in front of your vise, try the hybrid's recipe. Let your imagination do the job and enjoy.