The whole tone of Silver Grey should be
kept in harmony with it's name"
- Sir Herbert Maxwell -
- SILVER GREY -
Salmon and Sea trout
Sir Herbert Maxwell
(1898)
Silver Grey (Salmon and Sea trout 1898)
Sizes from 18 to 5.
Tag: silver wire and lemon floss
Tail: A topping with strips of wood duck (unbarred) and blue fibres
Butt: Black chenille
Body: Silver tinsel ribbed over with silver twist (*silver tinsel laid on foundation of floss silk) with a black centred grey cock's hackle carried down beside the twist
Shoulder hackle: Teal or pintail
Wing: Two short jungle fowl feathers; fibres of tippet, grey turkey, gold pheasent tail, wood duck and blue-dyed swan; topping over. Blue macaw horns
Head: Black chenille
Like all other fly tyers Maxwell also tied his flies in hands and naturally they all were intended and designed for used as fishing flies. This fly like many others were used both in early and late season fishing and smaller sizes were ment in low water conditions. Maxwell describes many interesting and fascinating fishing stories from his trips but that's another story to tell.
The tags were relatively really short and compactly tied. Just a few fibres of every wing component was used just for not to over dress the fly. I did found an interesting notice from the book that even silver tinsels were polished with a chamois leather before tying if they were aged and patined.
There are indications that the tyers at those times were really careful and precise in their work. There aren’t very many original flies to be seen from the late 19th or early 20th century but many are really well made. Because the work was slow and accurate, the fly was made to last as long as possible. All the introductions were given for tying flies in hands.
Instead of wool or ostrich Maxwell did prefere chenille as a head and butt material.
- Herl gives most elegant finish to a fly. But it is sadly vulnerable by the teeth of a fish, and fine chenille will be found far preferable.
His mixed wing technique was based in simplicity and the introductions were much more easy-going than Kelson - after all Kelson also tied some of his flies for show and exhibition purposes. Maxwell says:
- Do not cut it with a scissors, but nip it out with the skin of the quill adhering, in a manner to which your fingers will soon become accustomed.
- Lay them together - right side fibres and left side fibres in two little heaps.
- Only two or three fibres of each colour should be employed, the object being to impart a rich sparkling effect to the wing, rather than glare."
I tried to tye this fly as close to original as possible. I am not sure how the underwing should have made but I think the tippet fibres should be tied on the jungle cock feathers as sides. Remember that the tippet feathers were not tied as back to back. That was used only in some spesific patterns like Durham Ranger etc.
As you might see the woodducks are tied as a roofings top of the main wing (left to right and right to left) and tips down.
I did try many different brands of chenille for the head work and I ended up using Turral's ultra chenille. It seemed to be thin enough and quite easy going after all. It has a delicate greyish black colour that suites well.
I use to tye these kind of wool, ostrich or chenille heads from front to back. First I burn the tip of the chenille or rip it quite roughly with fingers and then just adjust it as front as possible, then round it gently and finish the ends carefully on the backside of the head by 3-4 handmade knots. I recommend to use wax and drop a bit of varnish for better hold.
Sir Herbert Maxwell was known as a baronet and as a politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1906. A baronet was a designation that was related to a knight and therefore entitled to be appointed as a "Sir". He tied flies in hands with such a company like Kelson and a young Pryce-Tannatt.
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