At least in more refined, much-later variations and versions – for example, anything sparsely tied, in black, with a mid-green (not lime) fluorescent floss butt. My own Green Butt Black Spider, for example, for salmon and sea-trout wherever they might swim, from whatever Ocean they come out of.
Size 12 to 6 low-water single salmon (like a Tiemco) if fishing the fly shallow, on a meatier iron if fishing it deep. And on size 16 – 12 small double irons and tiny tiny , .25-inch plastic tubes carrying a miniscule size 18 silver treble if permitted.
Green floss butt, not over-dubbed spiky black dubbing body (not too long), fine silver spiralling rib; just two turns of a long fibred black cock hackle (a hen will “clog” and matt and go dead in the water) for surface work, perhaps one more if going deep; just don’t overdress the thing.
I don’t swank about when it comes to past personal fishy bodycounts, but do remember Welsh salmon to 18.5 pounds, sea-trout to over 12, and many of their Tierra del Fuego and south Patagonian cousins to 24.5 pounds taken in an eartly 1990s era when everybody down there was still hurling big black Wooly Buggers and Bunny Leaches on Teeny 300s! My far less full-on flies eventually caught on….
1) Moisten your hackle-winding hand’s thumb and indez finger with saliva, then double fold the hackle back both before and during winding.
2) Some of my spiders would have a 2 -3 turn of a 3-strand bronze peacock herl “rope” as very short, bulbous front body against which the hackle would be wound. This made the long black fibres stand up better and “kick” in water of all speeds.
Off you go.
PPS – One or two of the Argentine Santa Cruz and far-southern Chilean steelhead ate the things, too.
It is happening again….
“Damned fine fly.”
At least in more refined, much-later variations and versions – for example, anything sparsely tied, in black, with a mid-green (not lime) fluorescent floss butt. My own Green Butt Black Spider, for example, for salmon and sea-trout wherever they might swim, from whatever Ocean they come out of.
Size 12 to 6 low-water single salmon (like a Tiemco) if fishing the fly shallow, on a meatier iron if fishing it deep. And on size 16 – 12 small double irons and tiny tiny , .25-inch plastic tubes carrying a miniscule size 18 silver treble if permitted.
Green floss butt, not over-dubbed spiky black dubbing body (not too long), fine silver spiralling rib; just two turns of a long fibred black cock hackle (a hen will “clog” and matt and go dead in the water) for surface work, perhaps one more if going deep; just don’t overdress the thing.
I don’t swank about when it comes to past personal fishy bodycounts, but do remember Welsh salmon to 18.5 pounds, sea-trout to over 12, and many of their Tierra del Fuego and south Patagonian cousins to 24.5 pounds taken in an eartly 1990s era when everybody down there was still hurling big black Wooly Buggers and Bunny Leaches on Teeny 300s! My far less full-on flies eventually caught on….
A 2 tying tips PS
1) Moisten your hackle-winding hand’s thumb and indez finger with saliva, then double fold the hackle back both before and during winding.
2) Some of my spiders would have a 2 -3 turn of a 3-strand bronze peacock herl “rope” as very short, bulbous front body against which the hackle would be wound. This made the long black fibres stand up better and “kick” in water of all speeds.
Off you go.
PPS – One or two of the Argentine Santa Cruz and far-southern Chilean steelhead ate the things, too.