This Carrie Stevens pattern was originally included in another post I wrote last August; http://donbastianwetflies.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/carrie-stevens-streamer-patterns/
This Victory is more recently tied, and I am experimenting with a different type of set up for the photos, placing the fly upright rather than flat against a background. This allows me to play with depth-of-field, which can place more emphasis on the fly. This fly is another addition to my Carrie Stevens Pattern Dictionary. Below is the Victory:
Victory – Carrie Stevens pattern, tied and photographed by Don Bastian.
The Victory
Thread: White Danville 3/0 monocord for the body.
Carrie Stevens used white buttonhole thread for her body work. I discovered that while visiting the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, Vermont on June 13, 2012. Part of the present display, A Graceful Rise, a tribute to women in fly tying and fishing, included photos of Austin Hogan’s notes and drawings that he painstakingly made in the early 1960′s of Carrie’s fly tying methods. I also recently learned from Mike Martinek that Austin actually deconstructed some of Carrie’s streamers to validate his work. Later on Mike became friends with Austin, and together the two of them also deconstructed some of Carrie’s patterns. He told me they had a few with hook points broken off, or were missing a cheek, etc. The use of the buttonhole thread is just one of the discoveries I made there. I know I am going to keep everyone in suspense, but I’m will reveal this information at a later date, after I’ve had time to study it more thoroughly.
Hook: This pattern is dressed on a Gaelic Supreme Martinek / Stevens Rangeley Style Streamer Hook. Any long shank streamer hook may be used.
Tag: Flat silver tinsel
Tail: Red hackle fibers, about equal to hook gape
Rib: Flat silver tinsel
Body: Red floss
Belly: White bucktail
Throat: Red
Wing: Two light blue hackles flanked on each side by one gray hackle
Cheeks: Jungle cock
Head: Red, white, and blue, in that order back to front. I use Danville Flymaster 6/0 #47 red, #1 White, and Blue 3/0 monocord, which since it is not listed on the Danville Chenille Company web site, I assume is discontinued. I also have a couple spools of Danville Blue Flymaster 6/0 that is not their #507 flourescent blue. That must also be a discontinued color.
Victory – mounted, carded. I have loved this traditional style streamer and bucktail carded packaging ever since I saw it the first time thirty years ago. Nowadays we use plastic sleeves. Before that there was cellophane, and before that, in the days when Carrie Stevens, Herb Welch, Gardiner Percy of Percy Tackle Company, Bill Edson, Chief Needabah, and other Maine and New England fly tiers sold their streamers, the favored material in use was a wax paper-like substance called glassine.
There is just something classic about the look of carded streamers and bucktails.
Great post Don, are you posting all the patriot series flies?
Hi Eunan;
Thanks for your comment! Actually I will be posting her patriotic set of four, individually. They were all in group photos previously, but these are part of the ongoing Carrie Stevens Pattern Dictionary that I am creating here. And the four of these patterns together will be grouped as Set No. 3; part of my series of Carrie Stevens Collector’s Edition Sets for sale, soon to be posted on http://www.MyFlies.com. Glad you liked it! Thanks again!
Fantastic!
Hi Vegard;
Thank you for your comment! Nice to see you stop by again! Your blog photos are very nice.
Cheers!
Striking fly and that’s a pun intended! I have a question: when I look for streamer feathers, I seem to find mostly feathers that have bends in the wrong places. Is it just me or do I just need to look at far more feathers to find the “good ones’?
Hi Terry;
Thanks for your compliment. To answer your question, please check this post from June 17th:
http://donbastianwetflies.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/selecting-streamer-hackle/
I also made a follow up post on June 19th: http://donbastianwetflies.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/streamer-hackle-feathers-part-ii/
In addition, if you use my search tab at top right; type in “steaming feathers” and hit ‘enter.’ You’ll find a couple posts where I address that topic as well. Twisted, bent, crooked, kinked, but otherwise perfect condition hackles can be made “perfect” through steaming. Same with wing quills. I address that with tips and suggestions.
I believe you’ll find the answers to all your questions there.
Another blogger, Erim M.Block, http://mysteriesinternal.blogspot.com/ – posted Selecting Streamer Hackles” to a site called Mid-Current: http://midcurrent.com/2012/06/23/left-hand-turns-angling-for-endangered-fish-how-to-pick-streamer-hackle-ode-to-a-vise/
Apparently there are lots of fly tiers interested in this subject, because Erin’s re-blog resulted in two days of record visits here on my blog. Thanks Erin!
Terry, feel free to post a comment or e-mail me if you have further questions.
Thanks again for your comment and interest!
Thanks Don!
Terry
You’re welcome Terry! Sorry, reading through my earlier reply I see that I called you “Gary.” Must have been a mental lapse…
Magnificent tie there Don! Thanks for that recipe too. I love this series you have been working on. The four would make a great looking frame with them in there, with the Victory Series label. Yes, I think that would be a good seller for you!!
Hint hint….
Hi Don,
Great fly, great picture. Thanks
Bob V.
Thank you Bob! Thanks for stopping in, I’m glad you like the streamer and photo!