Foxy-Tails Material Ties - February 2010 - Enter Here

[Altmor]

Please use this thread to enter your flies to the February, Foxy-Tails Material Ties Competition.

The rules and general information re prizes etc., are as posted in the "sticky" post to this Thread.

The February Competition will require to feature the material "Arctic Marble Fox", as previously advised, which can be ordered through Foxy-Tails.

For those of you who don't have any Arctic Marble Fox in their tying armory as yet, you can of course order through the Foxy-Tails web-site, linked here for your convenience : http://www.foxy-tails.co.uk/ .

A link straight to Foxy-Tail's deal on packs of Arctic Marble Fox is listed here for your further convenience :

http://www.foxy-tails.co.uk/category-17/6598420.html

Hope to see some exciting patterns entered this month, with Arctic Marble Fox being as perfect a material as I've yet to come across, for both Spring and Summer patterns.

As a reminder, a poll will open on 14th February for voting at which time the competition will close to new entries.

Altmor.

[Altmor]

Come on chaps, I know good few of you will have ordered up and received this fantastic material, Arctic Marble Fox, all I want to see is flies, flies and flies .

Let's be seeing some, I know it's early doors yet, with entries closing on 14th Feb, but I'm bursting to see what you've all been tying up, and remember, you've got to be in it to win it . Looking forward to it guys, when the posts come tumbling in .

Altmor.

[BARRA]

I'm just wondering whether Peter Kealey will be entering that Green Highlander variant.

What a fly!

Maybe onto a different material now....not sure.

Some of the innovations in this competition are really interesting though.

[Peter Kealey]

Hi Barra

No entry from me but the competition is a fantastic forum to showcase skills and interpretation of colours etc etc. In the highlander variant I have used marble fox. I had good stock of templedog but due to the controversy surrounding the methodology of skinning the animals I have stopped using it on ethical grounds.

I am a dog lover but also shoot and fish and do not have a problem killings things provided it is done in a sporting and humane manner. The manner in which the dog skins were procured was neither sporting or humane. I also recognise that skins from foxes may have implications but for me it is the lesser of 2 evils.

I know form speaking to Sue at Foxytails the lengths that she has went to personally to ensure the colours are both accurate and consistent and to that end I think that she has done a fantastic job. The product range is also expanding. Watch out for the competition with Cashmere Goat I may be tempted to have a lash

Regards Pete

[Springer]

Hi Peter,

Send me your templedog, Ive got the ethics of a sewer rat

Shame for it to go to waste

[Ade]

Originally Posted by BARRA

I'm just wondering whether Peter Kealey will be entering that Green Highlander variant.

What a fly!

Maybe onto a different material now....not sure.

Some of the innovations in this competition are really interesting though.

If he does, I'm outta here. There wouldn't be much point in competing!

I'm kidding BTW; I have a fly I'd like you all to give your opinion on. I was going to post a fly I entered for TOTM but thought I'd show another variant instead of just cutting and pasting the pics of that one.

Opinions welcome

Cheers

Ade

[Ade]

The Kelpie - low water version for summer maybe?



Hook: VMC Nickel 10 (never used these before)
Thread: Uni Black 8/0
Tag: Uni French Oval Silver Tinsel (small)
Rib: Uni French Oval Silver Tinsel (small) - continued from Tag
Tail: Antron Yarn (fluorescent yellow)
Rear Body: Silver Lite Brite Dubbing
Front Body: Black Seal Fur
Palmered Hackle over Black Seals fur: Died yellow badger (Lough Swilly)
1st Wing: Yellow Arctic Marble Fox (Foxy Tails)
2nd Wing: Brown Fox (Veniards)
3rd Wing: Yellow Arctic Marble Fox (Foxy Tails) Yellow Krystal Flash over
4th Wing: Yellow Arctic Runner, very sparse
5th Wing: Black Fox, Peacock Herl over
Eye: Jungle cock
Front Hackle: Died yellow badger (Lough Swilly)
Head: 3 Coats Veniard Cellire No 1 Clear Varnish

All underfur was removed from the fox materials to reduce bulk and I used very sparse quantities in this particular fly. I like tying with Foxy-Tails arctic marble fox, you can get some great action from very small quantites of material.

ATB

Ade

[roeboy]

Nice fly im sure it will work,

It looks alot lke the maggie shrimp which is successful on the Dee so no reason why that fly wouldn work too

[Ade]

Originally Posted by roeboy

Nice fly im sure it will work,

It looks alot lke the maggie shrimp which is successful on the Dee so no reason why that fly wouldn work too

Thanks for your feedback Roeboy

We've thrown a lot in the Dee based on black, silver and yellow in the past, of all variations. This one is just another out of my head but using the marble fox. I do really like the marble fox, it has qualities such as mobility and gives a nice profile and can be tied in sparse without losing any of its qualities.

I'll Google the Maggie Shrimp to see what you mean.

I think I'm becoming a bit of a Dee-votee

Thanks

Ade

[Altmor]

Tinkering, as I'm prone to do on a Sunday, and inspired by Easky's recent Cascades (Mini Me's) again, I turned my vice into a proper hook-holder as opposed to the tube needle extension it's been housing lately.

I had received some fantastic Arctic Marble Fox from Foxy-Tails a couple of months ago, so using this, I've come up with a fly which will move willingly and flirtingly in the current, and posses that lovely "glowing" translucency for which Marble Fox is famed.

Here is a "left and right" shot of "The Copper n' Gold Marble Cascade", with tying recipe below :





The tail mainly comprises the longer guard hairs of yellow, orange and sunburst amber, but as they are extremely fine and "wispy", I've kept just 2 or 3 strands each of yellow and orange bucktail mixed in, to give a slight "body" to the tail, but not too much to over-stiffen the movement of the Fox. The wings on the other hand are kept to the underfur, super soft, brushed and translucent, and here I've layered a touch of Sunburst under Black with a pinch of gold lite brite between.

The Tying Recipe :

Hook : #8 Partridge Salmon Double
Tag : Small Gold Tinsel
Butt : Fl. Green Floss Glo-Brite #12
Tail : 3 strands orange Bucktail and 3 strands Yellow Bucktail, with long guard hairs form Arctic Marble Fox in Orange, Yellow and Sunburst Amber, mixed through. 3 strands fine Crystal Flash over top
Rear Body : Copper Holographic Tinsel (medium)
Front Body : Veniard Pro Dub Yarn - Black
Rib : Small Gold Tinsel
U/Wing : Sunburst Amber Arctic Marble Fox under hair, guards removed, with a small pinch of Gold Lite Brite over (3 strands folded to form 6)
Top Wing : Black Arctic Marble Fox under hair, with guard hairs removed
1st Hackle : Yellow cock, 2 turns doubled
2nd Hackle : Orange cock, 2 turns doubled
Head : #14 Sheer Black thread, 1 ct fishing glue and 3 cts clear Sally Hansen's varnish over.


I'm looking forward to giving this one a swim, as I'm absolutely confident it will move irresistibly in the water . Hope you like it too.

Altmor.