Eric
Austin
Delaware, Ohio
Visit Eric's Website at http://traditionalflies.com/index.php?home. Very Impressive!
I
grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. I began fly fishing in
the early ‘60s, and took up tying shortly after that. I learned to tie from
books in our local library, and caught some trout then with flies that I would
now describe as hideous.
One day I bought some flies tied by Fran Betters of Wilmington, and things were never the same again. I’ve been trying to match those flies ever since.
I like to fish dry flies, almost to the exclusion of everything else. I currently live in Delaware, Ohio and fish our Mad river all year. I tie almost every day, fish when I can, and enjoy talking fly tying with the friends I’ve made on line.
I’ve been tying flies from the late 1800s recently, the showy, gaudy wet flies that I fell in love with as a boy. I’ve been back into the full dress salmon flies as well. I love the challenge, but a few years back I was soundly beaten by these flies, and became so frustrated that I quit tying for a year. Things are better now, and they’re fun again. I will just say this, they take some perseverance. The rewards are great however, and I encourage anyone to give them a whirl if you become seduced by them!
Note by Ed Gallop: Eric is one of the most talented tiers on this web site. His flies are obviously the work of a perfectionist with a passion. Pictured (below right) is one of Eric's shadow box display containing two of his full dry salmon flies.
Select One of Eric's Flies:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Be sure to visit our on-line store at
http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.
Tier: Eric Austin
Tag:
Silver twist and yellow silk.
Tail: A topping and golden pheasant tippet in strands.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: In two equal sections of oval tinsel; The rear section veiled with Indian crow above and below, and butted with black herl.
Rib: Fine oval silver tinsel over front half.
Hackle: Yellow over front half.
Wings: White tipped turkey tail, yellow, red, orange, and blue swan sub, bustard sub, golden pheasant tail, pintail, barred wood duck, and mallard.
Throat: Orange shlappen.
Topping: Golden pheasant crest.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Black.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Tag:
Silver twist and yellow silk.
Tail: A topping and chatterer sub.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: Red floss.
Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel.
Hackle: Red from second turn of ribbing.
Throat: Yellow shlappen.
Wings: Tippet in strands, yellow and red swan sub, peacock, golden pheasant tail, pintail, barred wood duck, and a mallard roof.
Sides: Jungle cock.
Cheeks: Chatterer sub.
Topping: Golden pheasant crest.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Black.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Tag:
Silver twist and orange silk.
Tail: A topping.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: Rear three-fourths: oval silver tinsel and jungle cock, butted with black ostrich herl; front one-fourth: dark blue silk floss ribbed with fine oval silver tinsel.
Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel.
Wings: Lady Amherst pheasant tippets.
Sides: Barred wood duck.
Cheeks: Indian crow sub.
Topping: Golden pheasant crest.
Horns: Red macaw, optional.
Head: Black ostrich herl.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Tag:
Extra fine oval gold tinsel.
Tail: A topping and barred wood duck.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: Claret silk floss.
Rib: Flat gold tinsel and fine gold lace.
Hackle: Claret.
Throat: Kenya crested guinea.
Wings: Lady Amherst pheasant tippets.
Sides: Jungle cock.
Cheeks: Chatterer sub.
Topping: Golden pheasant crest.
Horns: Barbs of Lady Amherst pheasant center tail.
Head: Black.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Hook: Large
wet fly blind eye hook, #6 or 8 or so.
Tail: Married red and yellow goose.
Body: Red floss.
Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel ( silver used here ).
Wing: Married strips of mottled turkey, yellow and red.
Hackle: Red.
This fly is from the late 1800s, and is one of many found in the Mary Orvis Marbury book "Favorite Flies and Their Histories". I’ve been doing a series of these for the "Just Old Flies" section on the FAOL website. They have been so much fun to tie, and many of these old flies originated in the Adirondacks, where I was born and raised. They are quite large generally, and were used in the lakes and rivers of the region.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Hook: Wet fly #14.
Tag: Red floss.
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet.
Body: Half silver tinsel, half peacock herl.
Hackle: Brown.
My good friend Alan Goodwin ( Alan the Highlander ), from Scotland, sent me a small box of flies several years ago that continues to be a great source of inspiration. This is one of the flies he sent, and Alan, I hope I’ve done it justice in tying this one.
The original Ke-He dates back to the 1930s. It was invented by two northern Scotland anglers named Heddle and Kemp. The first 2 letters of their names are Ke and He, hence the name of this fly. The full peacock body on the original lacked the silver tinsel and the red tag was on top of the tail.
Variations exist with most all classic flies in an effort to improve the originals. It should be noted that the Ke-He was a trout variation of the Red Tag, a popular smaller grayling fly originating in the 1830s (100 years earlier).
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Hook: Dry
fly #24.
Body: Peacock herl.
Hackle: Grizzly palmered.
This fly, for me, works better the smaller I can make it. Numbers 22 and 24 work best for the selective Browns on our Mad River. A great fly in the fall.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Hook: Dry
fly #20.
Tail: Dun hackle.
Body: Stripped hackle quill dyed olive.
Wings: Dun hackle tips tied upright.
Hackle: Dun.
I love the quill body flies popularized by A.K. Best. Almost every dry I tie has a quill body, with the exception of no-hackles and some midges.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Hook: Dry
fly #26 or 28.
Tail: Dun.
Wings: I like Float-Vis, lots of other possibilities.
Body: Thread.
Don’t sell the tiny spinner short.
It will work even when there is no
Trico hatch.
Pictured (left) is a #28 Trico riding
on the tail of a #14 Silver Tipped Ke-He.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Hook: TMC
2487 or Mustad 80250BR, #20 or 22.
Body: Stripped peacock herl.
Head: Peacock herl.
Dropped off a #20 Adams, with 6/0 fluorocarbon leader, this fly is the ticket for big selective fish in the fall. I had two of the best days of my life this fall with this fly.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Tier: Eric Austin
Hook: Dry
fly #26 or 28.
Tail: Grizzly and brown hackle.
Body: Grey Thread.
Hackle: Grizzly.
Not a true parachute Adams quite, more like a grizzly midge, this fly is another great dropper fly for very selective big fish. If you can tie it like a real Adams, go for it.
Select Another Fly:
Full Dress Salmon Flies
Mary Orvis Marbury's
Trout Flies:
Return to Eric' Introduction.
Be sure to visit our on-line store at
http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.