This session took up most of the morning.  After lunch we got stuck into it, blending up Spirit River dubbing mixes from the recipes downloaded from “A Bit about Baetids”, as featured on this website.
 
We talked more closely about Coq de Leon and where hackles are heading.  The featured capes were the Champagne and Golden Badger series of colours now being produced by Whiting Farms.  They are a little difficult to get hold of but if you order them via your local supplier, I am sure they will get them in for you.  To prove what I am saying have a look at the colour of the legs on these very common mayflies and you will see why I am so excited about this stuff.  These colours match and it helps make the game easy.
 
Then it was hands-on while we went into the new developments in hook manufacturing and the importance of hook selection.  You know the stuff, checking hook points and the dreaded stretch or straightening of hook bends.  The new manufacturing procedure that has been developed by Mustad/Partridge helps to eliminate these common problems.

If the legs on this Baetid Male Dun don’t match the Golden Badger I’ll eat my hat!

Let me mention here the importance of taking some careful thought and time in selecting that hook to match the fly you want to tie.  As an example, there is little value in tying a delicate dry fly on a heavy gauge hook that was designed to assist the sinking of a wet fly.
 
Finally we spent some time on introducing our new Trigger Point winging material and how we have done for wings what dubbing has done for bodies.  For these guys it was all new stuff and I think we gave them a whole heap of new directions, ideas and new materials to play with.
 
Here is something to think about; have a look at the colour of the wings on the Baetid Duns above, check out the highlights and dark troughs.  This is brought about because the Duns never fully pump up their wings.  This is possibly an aid to escape from the dun shuck when it emerges to become the spinner.
 
Check the Dark Dun TPI winging material below and see how it matches.  Then ask yourself the question, do your winging materials offer you this advantage? 

The tying begins and we worked our butts off

EP Trigger Point Dark Dun, one of sixteen such blends

The Fly Tying Session  The theme was tying dry flies and working on how to get the best out of your hackles and some different methods for tying dry flies with blind hackles, both collar and parachute.  The blind hackle is simply a method where it is almost impossible to see where the fly was actually tied off.  The big screen enabled me to demonstrate clearly how it was done and then it was their turn.  Did they get into my stuff!

The workshop finished just after 4pm.  What was funny was that the President of the club, John Twyford, only turned up to open the workshop, etc., as he had to leave.   Well he stayed all day and guess what, he does not tie flies!!  I think we kind of sucked him in.