My First Dabbler.

[SharkeyP]

The Danica Dabbler
Hook: Kamasan B175 sz 10,
Thread: UTC 140, Hopper Yellow,
Tail and Shoulder: Wapsi Mallard Barred Flank, Mayfly Yellow
Body: Mixed Olive and Natural Seal's Fur plus Orvis UV Light Olive Ice Dubbing,
Body Hackle: Olive Cock,
Rib: UTC Ultra Wire small, Chartreuse.

Be gentle! I found a bag of dyed Mallard Flank so thought I'd have a go at this Dabbler craze that's sweeping the nation. I didn't have any Pheasant tail in a pale olive. I tried bleaching some dark olive but it dissolved completely. In the meantime I tried some more Mallard for the tail.

I know the JC split has gone awry (I've bullied it back a bit since the picture) but how are the proportions? It wasn't as hard as I feared and I may have to invest in some proper Bronze Mallard and knock out some variations that might work before May.

SharkeyP

[ACW]

Strangely akin to one in my box ,using a similar dye job from Orvis ages ago .
I would go for a softer sparser body hackle ,but thats a taste thing .
First attempt ,superb IMHO.

[dabhoy]

Looks better than my 1st attempts.
It does take time to get these the way you want.
The palmer looks a bit heavy and if your using seals fur give it a bit of a scrub up.
P.S get some bronze mallard

[SharkeyP]

You are right, I was in such a rush I forgot to velcro the seals fur up a bit. I'll try with a smaller cock hackle and wider turns. I might even be bold enough to add a tinsel tag and an gold oval rib. The Chartreuse is all very trendy but it sort of gets lost in the mix.

Thanks for the learned advice chaps, most appreciated.

SharkeyP

[black knight]

A nice first dabbler Sharkey. I know your next one will be perfect.

[sarg]

thats got mayfly written all over it

[wobbly face]

That's a nice fly and tying Paul.

[harveyangling]

I would be happy if this were my first attempt at a dabbler, looks very good to me.

Did you cloak the head or tie it in individually?

[SharkeyP]

It was a cloak of two halves!

Thanks for the encouraging words. I'm emboldened enough to invest in some Bronze Mallard now.

SharkeyP

[North Country Angler]

Good first attempt. I'm not expert on these things, but I would say that your next one should be a touch shorter in the wing, and if you've got some decent hen neck, then use that instead of cock for your palmer.
But a fine effort - you'll nail a few on Ullswater with that one slooping around on the top dropper.

I reckon if you get some decent undyed bronze mallard, that you'll probably find it easier to work with than the dyed flank stuff....

Looking forward to seeing more,
M