Permanent marker

[Fascist Killer]

I was wondering how many of you guys use markers in your tying, or if you take them on stream with you to do touch ups to try to better match the bugs. Sort of an informal polling. They seem very handy.

[CM_Stewart]

I have a few Prismacolor markers, but I really don't use them very often. That said, the orange and black markers are very effective in making a sighter from a length of white fly line backing.

[alanb_ct]

For a time, after I read Art Lee's article called "The Usual with a Twist," I was using Pantone markers for color in my snowshoe hare foot. This was done for two patterns, a sulphur emerger and a March Brown emerger with a barred wing. The bright yellow color of the sulphur made the fly really easy to see and it was effective. Jeff Passante also mentions this fly in his book about the Housatonic. I don't really tie those anymore, since I switched over to other styles.

I keep a black Sharpee on my bench now for three purposes, (1) to make bars on indicators (sighters) or fly line, (2) To color in the thin skin head on the Barr-style caddis larva. For the Barr flies, the marker makes for a nice transition zone between the black bead, black ostrich herl and olive fly specks thin skin. The third application is for coloring in a section of thread when fly tying. Occasionally I like to make a contrasting color head of for example a midge larva. If you are tying with red thread, tie up the whole fly, and right before you whip finish, color in about 2 inches of thread with the black marker (the thread near the fly eye). When you whip finish with the blackened thread, it makes a nice compact head of a contrasting color. I think that such a move sometimes makes a more clear partition between the knot and hook eye from the fly, and this might be useful for picky fish, plus it's so easy to do.

There are many other applications (maybe for salt water) for markers I don't know about.

Hope this helpful.

[Fascist Killer]

Thanks Alain

[bassrag]

I keep 4 colors of markers in my vest-brown-green-yellow and red.I use them to touch up a nymph or a streamer to more realisticaly match the forage.I think it helps esp. with light colored streamers and nymphs.

[nutman]

for tying realistic patterns , like the kind that paul whillock ties I use small perment markers for my yellow stone flys .first use the black to color the back of the fly ,then i use yellow to clear out the black ,leaving the edges of the wings and thorax black .it really adds life to your flys ,it takes a bit of getting use to to blend colors ,sometimes everything just turns funky on you ,so I start again.

[FK]

John Betts developed a system about 20-30 years ago, he tied all of his dry flies with synthetic material in clear or white. When he arrived on the stream/river, the Pantone Markers would color up to "match the hatch."

Betts was one of very early writters on synthetic materials for dry flies, he developed paint brush fibers for tailing, Zealon for trailing shucks, unique foam applications for warm water flies,,,,the list is rather interesting. Betts was from NJ (I believe) and presently lives near or in Denver.

Regards,
FK

[Fascist Killer]

FK-

If you're interested here is the man's book. Only one i could find for sale.

http://www.pbagalleries.com/search/i...e8b7385dc2dd10

[FK]

Rego,

I had the book however, it was sold off with my collection of FF books years ago. I had a brief but intense few years with semi commercial photography, mainly stock.

I purchased the book in 1980 from John Betts at a fly fishing show in NY. The text was very interesting,,,,,hand written in script with very neat drawings, the entire book was done in pen and ink. This was his first and I belive only book, it mainly described his use of synthetics,,, for dry flies. If I remember correctly, it was some years later he wrote an article in one of the FF magazines (perhaps Fly Tyer) and presented the case of using Pantone markers to color the clear flies.

I have some of his early foam body flies in my collection,,,,he was the first to use a plastic lip to make a fly wiggle like the Rapala,,,he discussed this idea with Tim England and the deer hair Magic Minnow was created by Tim (this fly also used Pantone pens to color & shade).

Betts also offered the idea of using a double eyed hook, no point, both ends had a ball eye. He considered the tug or take by the trout good enough,,,,why torture the fish by reeling it in and releasing?

He had many creative ideas and later dropped the synthetics in favor of authentic 16th and 17th century fly construction, hand forged hooks, greenhart rods, furrled leaders of horsehair, etc.

This article is from the Denver Post April 2007.

http://origin.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_5586855

Regards,
FK

[Gregorygob]

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