wings on traditional wet fly tricks

[Connor Murphy]

I've recently fallen back into an old obsession, traditional wets. in a world where fishing is getting inundated every day w/ electronics and boron welded seams and the like it's nice to step back and fish in such a simple, no frills manner.

the tier in me really has an affinity for the wings on traditional wets but I can't seem to get them to look like they do when they appear in an issue of fly tier or in a color plate in Bergmans trout. can you guys suggest any tips or tricks that might improve the quality of my wetfly wings? what material do you guys like to use for the wings? 

[Rich Reedinger]

Hi Connor,  Happy New Year.  I also like the old traditional wet fly patterns. They are a bit of a problem to get the duck quill wings just right.  Practice, practice, practice is the most assured way of getting them right.  I highly recommend a DVD entitled "Tying Wet Flies" by Don Bastian for excellent instruction on several techniques of tying these style of flies. He covers proper technique and selection of various materials to create those little masterpieces in your fly box.
   Hope all is well and I hope to see you and your Dad at one of the US Youth FF Team events this year.  Good luck.

[Pat Weiss]

In my own experience, the quality of the duck quill is the most important thing, a nice, webby quill  with a sharp edge seems to work best.  Another little "trick" is to run a very thin film of cement on the outer tip of the quill, so that when you pinch tie it down, it gives you that nice, classic looking bend.  If you use too much cement, it soaks into the feather and makes a line, but just enough helps it hold, especially if working with less than ideal materials

[Loren Williams]

I Connor; in the theme of quill wing wets there are a number of factors your need to pay strict attention to if you want the slips to appear, and behave correctly.  First is quill selection.  As Pat pointed to, you need to avoid the rigid portion of the quills.  Mallard wings are great, goose even better.  Look for the rigid line where the biots are flat and broad...that gets longer as you proceed toward the tip of the feather.  The best primary feathers are usually the third on in from the wing, the first few are usually most rigid and most pointed.

Next, you want slips toward the tip for wets, leave the slips more toward the base for dries as they will have much more curvature, condusive for upright/divided wings.  For wets, the slips will be mounted with the undersides out, so that the small amount of natural curve encourages them together, not apart.

When you match the slips (one slip from a right, one from a left) and mount them on the hook, be sure you hold them with NO SPACE between the shank and bottom edge of the slips.  If you give them room to roll, they will.

Lastly, if there was a ever a demand for a perfect pinch wrap this is it.  Be exact where you place that wrap and place it with confidence..done correctly you will see the but ends stand up away from the hook, make one more pinch wrap to lock it in, then and only then, can you release your death grip.

That said, for fishing flies I feel we have superceded the use of fragile quills by dyed hen hackle, CDC, or various other more durable fibers.  However, I do agree that tying those old school patterns well leaves one with a great deal of satisfaction!http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/tutorials/wet-flies/leadwing-coachman

[Jim Frazier]

i do enjoy tying / fishing wets but in my lazy days i found that a picket pin with just a clump of grey squirel tail fibers for the wing does just fine !! but then again i guess when i think about it i usually fish them in fast water maybe that makes a diff. i dunno 

[Connor Murphy]

thanks alot guys! I'll see what I can come up with

[Davy Wotton]

Conner.

As a one time pro tyer producing  a average of 10 to 12 doz winged wets a day, you will be wise to follow my tips here.
The first of which is this.

It matters not what you intend to do with the wing unless you have a perfect body and hackle foundation. Which  is one of the reasons why the majority have problems setting a wing.
If there is any influence of a hump, untidy thread base and so on you will not be able to set a wing well to that foundation.

The way to learn how to set a wing is to forget tying the fly to start with.
If you cannot set a good wing on a bare hook with a thread base then its not going to happen for the tyed fly. .

Wing material choice.
Is of course related to what the tying for that fly asks.
The size of the fly.

There are primarily  3 used commonly
Mallard primary and secondary wing quill.
Goose secondary,
Turkey secondary and in some cases primary.

Others that l would also include which are still legal
Woodcock
Partridge
Coot
Jay
Moorhen
Grouse
Hen and cock Pheasant, tail and wing quill.
Poultry. Hen and cock tail and wing quill.
Crow, wing and tail quill
Starling.
Teal flank
Wooduck flank
Mallard shoulder and flank feather

Some of the second list materials are not easy to deal with and take a great deal of practice, particularly game birds, they do not have the same ability to marry together as the former 3.
Further you have to know exactly for what position on the quills to take the fiber for the size of fly you are tying.

In the case of some of the materials mentioned you do not pair a left and right side, they are more so a rolled or folded wing technique.

The use of any cement, glue of what ever else should be avoided to set a wing or hold it together, its all down to technique and once mastered its very easy believe me. Your eyes will direct you to the proportionate amount of material you need and also from what position on the quill of feather to take it.

Conner, if you are further interested l have a new DVD that compliments Wet Fly Ways,, which is a two DVD set that will teach you all you need about wet fly and soft hackle tying.
It deals with all elements.
Tails,
Bodies
Hackles
Wings

  Davy Wotton