First attempt at a Hairwing Green Highlander variant. Getting it to look right turned out to be harder than it looked..

Hairwing Green Highlander variant

Hook: Daiichi 2055 size 7
Tag: Silver tinsel and yellow floss
Body: Yellow and green floss
Rib: Small oval tinsel, silver
Throat: Yellow and green hackle
Wing (bottom to top): Golden ph. tippet, yellow, orange, and green squirrel tail



Here's what I see is wrong with it. What else did I miss?

Top wing: Total length is too short. It should at least reach the end of the bend.
Top wing: Red and yellow are about even, but the green is way too short.
Top wing: Recipe called for a little bit of brown on top and I think it would have helped to have included it.
Throat: Too much yellow and the green it too short.
Tag: Smaller tinsel would have laid smoother.
Body: Missing black Ostrich between tag and body. I didn't think it was needed, but I think the transition would have looked better.
Tail: I forgot to tie in a tail. Oops!
Head: What can I say? It is just plain ugly...

Incredibly well done

Thanks. I want to give someone one of those brooch pins, and I thought this might be a good pattern. But after tying one am not so sure about it.

Also, that's why I am being critical and why a gold hook was used. Hey, if I'm giving it away, I want it to look good.

Rex, not being critical, just offering some helpful tips.
1. Use oval twist (small) for the tag
2. Pay attention to your thread underbody and your floss wraps. They should be flat and finished via burnishing.
3. Use only 5 turns for your body tinsel and try to have the center wrap split the color change.

Last, take your time! It's not a contest. I've been tying Atlantic's for a long time and I probably screw up every wing I create but will admit the body is the hardest part. Never varnish the head until I'm sure I don't need to unwrap anything that needs redoing. I'll often tie the same fly 3 - 4 times before I'm satisfied only to watch my granddaughter undo it all with her childish curiosity. Kinda like a slow death.

There are good websites devoted to the art and practice of creating these with lots of more qualified help than me. Try flytying.com and go to the classic and artistic board.

I got a second chance to tie tonight. So, here's round 2:

Hairwing Green Highlander variant (take 2)

TXWW, thanks for the comments. I think you're right, oval would look better for the tag. I left the yellow floss out of the second attempt and the flat tinsel just doesn't work.

You're right, that first body is bad. I tried to tie both colors of floss in at the same time and that just caused problems. Single color bodies are much easier to work with.

Yep, the wraps are sloppy. I knew it when I did it, but I was thinking that the wing tie in would cover the last wrap. It didn't quiet work out that way.

Hey, question for you. This my first two tone body. Where should the color transition be located? I just aimed to put it half way between the head and the tag, but I'm not sure if that is right or not.

Thanks for the comments.

TXWW, another question for you. What are you using to help burnish your floss? I have not been doing that.

Rex, I thought the new tag came out fine. Using flat tinsel for the entire tag is common. Sequence is tag, tail, butt and then floss body. It looks as though you tied the tail and butt on top of the floss?

Color change dead center. You got it perfect.

I use a 10mm & 16mm glass test tubes as burnishing tools. Glass is as flawless as you can get.

What floss are you using?

Thanks for the help. Glass rods makes sense. I was wondering what you used that would not snag the floss.

I used the correct sequence for the tail and butt, but it doesn't look like in the photo. The picture looks like there is a full wrap of yellow behind the butt, but there is not one there. The floss was tied in under the butt and I think the tie in point is shining through under the lights. That tells me that I need to shift the butt back a little bit more toward the bend to insure the floss is hidden. Enlarged photos can be very humbling...

I used 3 strands of 4 strand rayon floss on body of this fly.

The loop eye hooks are a challenge to work with, the transition point where the eye ends is difficult to hide.

Anyway, I'm having fun with this style of fly.

Round 3 - I was feeling pretty good about this one, until I enlarged the photo and compared it to #2. I fixed some issues, but created others...

But, they're still fun to tie.

Well, this may be as good as it is going to get. So, here's the finished product.

Hairwing Green Highlander Brooch

Hook: Brooch style pin (You can see the pin peeking out under the wing and above the head)
Tag: Silver flat tinsel and orange floss
Tail: GP topping
Butt: Black ostrich herl
Body: Yellow and green floss
Rib: Oval silver tinsel
Throat: Yellow and green hackle
Wing: Yellow, orange, green, and brown squirrel tail

Very nice, Rex. It was quite interesting to see your progression and education as you proceeded thru each interation.

Just curious -- where are your getting your died squirrel tails?

Thanks Mick.

The squirrel tails have come from multiple places. Barlow's had natural colors, but nothing dyed. The place Taylor worked this summer had a few colors left over in back that were Orvis branded, and are really nice quality and were cheap because they wanted to get rid of them. I inherited a few squirrel tails from Dale. And finally, last month I got one of the assortment packs from J Stockard that filled in my missing colors, although I now have some duplicates.

It took a while to collect them. If I were to do it again, I'd start with the J Stockard assortment.

One comment about using squirrel tail hair, super glue will become your best friend...

The first fly on the pin was tied for a gift. This one was tied to keep.

So, here's one last fly in this series.