Ah been thinkin'

[AL trout bum]

To echo someone else's question, how do you fish these? I have a couple I bought at LRO and really wasn't sure if they are supposed to be dries or wet flies?

[duckypaddler]

Originally Posted by AL trout bum

To echo someone else's question, how do you fish these? I have a couple I bought at LRO and really wasn't sure if they are supposed to be dries or wet flies?

You can make them be whatever you want. I never had much luck with the dry fly version. Never liked the fakes from LRO, but Hugh Hartsell had some died crow feathers that looked as good as you can get legally. If you look at Don's first or 2nd issue of his online magazine there was an article and tying instructions. I fish them as a nymph from June through August whenever you see bees around

[AL trout bum]

Cool, thanks.

[D-Drake]

Originally Posted by AL trout bum

To echo someone else's question, how do you fish these? I have a couple I bought at LRO and really wasn't sure if they are supposed to be dries or wet flies?

AL Trout Bum, the Yellarhammers we sell are wet flies. The feathers, whether they are the real thing or dove, crow etc are too soft of feathers to float a dry. The dry fly versions of the Yellarhammer are usually tied with a dyed dry fly hackle.

The Yellarhammer flies that Rob Fightmaster ties for us are done from dyed dove feathers. They are prettier than the commercially tied ones.

Daniel

[Grannyknot]

Originally Posted by duckypaddler

......but Hugh Hartsell had some died crow feathers that looked as good as you can get legally....

I thought Hugh tied these with Starling feathers?
He did a tying demo one day at the shop where he gave a quick tutorial on how to dye these.

[duckypaddler]

Originally Posted by Grannyknot

I thought Hugh tied these with Starling feathers?
He did a tying demo one day at the shop where he gave a quick tutorial on how to dye these.

No your right, my bad Still much better than the comm version. I don't think I saw the local version at LRO so they may be much better.

[Rob Johnson]

The oldtimer that tied these for me did not explain but they have a pretty stiff hackle and tail. The palmer style body wrap is clipped fairly tight but it is labeled "yellahammer" and all the other flies in this box are certainly dry flies.I have seen the wet flies called Yellahammer but was wondering if anyone else knew of the Yellahammer being fished as a dry fly. No wing and it is hard to float. Maybe it is a wet fly.

[Don Kirk]

I just completed a book titled Flies and Fly Patterns of the Great Smoky Mountains for Stackpole Books that will be published in 2013. It covers about 60,000 words and is a pretty detailed work on a fairly narrow subject. An entire chapter is devoted to the Yallarhammar fly. I included everything I could dig up about the fly. Much of the tidbits of information are contradictory, but I included them any way.

After making a fairly comprehensive study of the pattern, my theory is that the Yallarhammar was tied as a wet fly, more than likely with a peacock herl body as opposed to a willy nilly, palmer hackled sprig. This is not say that the two styles did not evolve at the same time. However, if you look at the flies used in the waters of GSMNP between 1840 and 1900, you cannot help but see that fly patterns with long bodies were most prevalent. I am strongly of the opinion that the earliest fly tyers of the region drew inspiration from the flies they saw used rather than setting out on creative courses. It’s just my opinion.

[Rob Johnson]

Don Kirk, I have about gone broke buying your books. Impecunious as I am and not really wanting to wait until next year, can you just tell me if you know of the Yellowhammer being tied as a dry fly? Clipped palmered body and stiff hackle? Your help would be much appreciated. ROB

[duckypaddler]

Originally Posted by Rob Johnson

Don Kirk, I have about gone broke buying your books. Impecunious as I am and not really wanting to wait until next year, can you just tell me if you know of the Yellowhammer being tied as a dry fly? Clipped palmered body and stiff hackle? Your help would be much appreciated. ROB

Just an amateur answer here. But when I first tried to tie the fly, I had no instruction, just went off what I saw. I forgot to lead wrap the body before the peacock hurl, and what I ended up with was a dry fly (well I first intended it to be a dropper, but it wouldn't sink) It had no other hackle, which contradicts what many more educated people seem to be saying, but that's my story, and I'm sticking to it

If you find Don's recipes, I'm pretty sure he had a dry recipe in that first or second installment of his online magazine