I am making the Zebulon for different conditions. This one is for fast water. I also have the LS version, but I haven't made one I liked well enough to post the final version of. It is very much like this one, but with a low wing, and it is on a streamer hook. Black and white pattern like a zebra. I will also be working on a northeastern style streamer in this area. I am getting close to nailing that pattern the way I want. I think a variety of species will like the fly. I also have the original version. It was tied with silk instead of micro ultra chenille.

Very nice Kelly That looks great

Another beautiful pattern from Kelly. I have never heard of that pattern before, but it is beautiful. Is that a red salmon fly hook? Other Red Raiders may be as interested in some of those as I am.

Boy, just a few years ago we had no idea that you would get so good so quick.

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

I am happy y'all liked the fly. Brimbum, the reason you have never seen this fly before, is because it is an original by me. :-)

Oh, to answer your question Big Dale...it is a red Salmon hook. Someone sent me some red hooks, and a pack of blue, and a couple of packs of green. These are Gamakatsu hooks. My other Zebulon has a streamer hook. But I thought for a fast water fly, a Salmon hook would really set it off. Anyway, thanks for your kind words. I still have a lot to learn, and I hope I can keep improving. I am also going to be exploring trying out new, original patterns.

Nice. So, what are the little brassy thingies?

I really wanted to ask on your last tie

The brass eyes are something Bill Edson used to use a lot on his flies. They add flash, and weight to a fly.
Mark Vendon in NY makes these eyes, a replica of the original Bill Edson eyes. 3 dollars for a hundred eyes, shipped. That is a great deal. Here is his email for those interested. Tell him Kelly L sent ya.

MV12193@peoplepc.com

Hey Kelkay. What would be the chance of getting a couple of those from you. My best friends name is Zebulon and I'd love to frame one and give it to him! BTW...How did you decide on that name?

Odatria, I am glad you liked the fly. If you want one like this one, I will have to make some more. I do not know why I liked the name so much, but I ran across it one day. The zebra stripes and zeb kind of stuck. I have more than one version of this fly. This is the low water version. (thus the LW after the name) I needed to make some more anyway, but I have been busy on other things. PM me and we can discuss it further.

....at what point dose feather lashing and fish tricking become art?

I don't think the point is clear when it becomes art. (to the viewer) It is art in a way for every tyer. Others may see a piece as art, some may think it is elementary, and crude, and in no way an art piece. I think it is a way for your creative side to have a little fun, and from the beginning it is art.

When the tying time per fly exceeds about a half an hour...

LOL....now Rex, that is a GOOD ONE there. Many flies I tie takes more than a half hour, including the one above.

Zebulon was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel. Genesis 49:13 "Zebulon shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for a haven of ships... Moses prophesied that the Zebulonites would "suck" the "seas" and gain an "abundance" from doing so. Deuteronomy 33:18-19 "...of Zebulon he said...they shall suck of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hidden in the sand."

I think it's pretty cool that you named your fly "Zebulon", and that this tribe had a significant presence in the water. Specifically that Zebulon "took from the abundance of the seas" How cool is that!

Yes, that is very cool that Zebulon was one of the 12 tribes of Israel. I also like the references to water. There is just something about the name that I particularly liked. It just struck me that it would be a great name for this series of flies. I still need to work on getting the streamer tied the way I want it.



This is one of the streamers, but the wing was just a tad bit too long. I also tied the original Zebulon with silk. I am also going to do one that is a NE style streamer on a long shanked hook.


This last photo is the very first Zebulon I tied, and named. It was just something I was playing around with. It needs to be perfected a bit. I know what I want to do with it, I just get bored of tying the same thing over and over. So I tie this, I tie that, then I go back and try to perfect something like this, that I tied previously. Getting the wing right on the streamer is hard to do. Anyway, you can see the progression, the Zebulon LW is the only one I can say, it is done, just the way I pictured it in my mind. The head on the streamer with chenille needs to be right, as well as the length, and setting of the wing. Then I will call it good. The silk streamer needs some slight tweaking as well. They all take a while for me to tie. The hard part is getting the wings right.