Tying the Blue Devil Streamer (Variant) with Davie McPhail

[@seanmooney3907]

Great ftie as usual. Carrie Stevens is held in reverence by fly fishers and tyers in her home State of Maine. I live in Bangor, ME which is about two hours east of Rangely where Carrie lived and tied. I am going to make a trip this summer to Rangely lakes where her home was. The flies are tied and used regularly there where she lived. Thanks for tying this. If you are tying more of her patterns, please film as many as you can. I love to see the reproduction of her flies. I usually have to tie from recipes. I have used sliver pheasant for the cheeks, more often than mallard. I think it is an acceptable substitution since many of her flies had them. All the best to you and yours. Sean

[@bogus_not_me]

If I had one I tied myself, I'd try to catch something with it. If I had one of yours, I'd leave it in the sleeve and display it for all my friends to see. Beautiful job!

[@kerrypitt9789]

That is a really nice streamer!! Carrie Stevens had an eye for color and what went with what. I remember reading somewhere that she tied everything "In hand," which is probably why she made the wings modular, to avoid handling them all one at a time? Thank you Davie, I know there are a few of you out there still honoring this Lady.

[@dariuszpiatak8675]

Enormous speed, enormous precision, and so good looking fly... As always! Davie, you are great! Thanks for another pattern!

[@comesahorseman]

Thanks for the tip on the book, Davie, it's appreciated! That's a well-tied fly, as well! 👍

[@krallmi48]

Lovely fly, Davie... really enjoyed seeing it tied... thanks Mike

[@bjrnj.larsen9658]

A beautiful streamer fly - and as always tied top notch. Thank you! ;)

[@ipod1978]

Beautiful. Absolutely outstanding pal, hands down one of the best in the game.

[@rickp2312]

Thanks Davie! Amazing multi species fly.

[@georgeb6412]

Really enjoyed the video, just love the look of these streamers ,I got a few packets of the partridge heritage streamer hooks a while back not tied on them yet but after seeing this I can't wait to give them a go.cheers davie atb.

[@possumkingproductionsmike8089]

Patience of Job. Not that I'll ever need one but beautiful.

[@brianeaton3734]

👍👍 the Wizard of Ayr strikes again......great job.

[@earlcantwell2412]

Beautiful tie As per usual ; I love watching your "Magic Fingers" manipulating materials and making them behave ; Example!!! Wonderful

[@jamesshimer9677]

Thanks Davie!

[@jackreeves3001]

You never disappoint!

[@paulus0109]

Very enjoyable Davie, thnx

[@MultiHerf]

Great as usual you make it look easy which is very motivating thx

[@dominiqueleblanc2193]

Nice fly! I use the Partridge Paul LeBlanc streamer hook who is a good friend of mine. Atb!

[@reellifewithcinco7858]

Wow, great work sir!

[@tomcrowley9269]

always was fascinated with the Galloping Ghost but never tied one to suit me

[@militarist7777]

Отлично получилось.

[@frankmonroe8320]

Thank you! Very nice.

[@jackkrag]

Hi, you were and still are so very inspirational for me. All thanks, k

[@robertandersson331]

beautiful

[@mrdisel5975]

Как всегда прекрасно !!! Спасибо.

[@smickerflies]

Fantastic big man 👍👊

[@PiscatorFlies]

Hey Davie, nice to see some more streamers posted on your channel. I like the fly, but I'm sure you're gonna ruffle some feathers with that wing not being preassembled as Carrie Stevens did. Cheers :)

[@Rustyboyyy1]

Totally awesome!!!

[@Vincentdonnelly5158]

Thats a beauty.

[@eunanhendron]

Nice one Davie. Do you have the Carrie Stevens book by Graydon Hilyard? Tons of history about her and her flies in that book. Also, Hilyard has another book due for release this month about Herb Welch, the creator of many other streamers, including the famous Black Ghost.

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Eunan Hendron, I do have a copy of Graydon Hilyards book which is easily one of the best on Streamers as I recently tyed a collection of flies from it..I have heard about his new book on Herb Welch which I will hopefully get soon as I'm sure it will be as good as his last...I'm glad you liked the Blue Devil... All the very best Davie..

[@luisrivas2040]

Saludos

[@userAguatic35]

Интересный стримерок.

[@АлександрПлахотный-е4у]

Стример, класс ! 👍🤝🇰🇿

[@davidprice5707]

What would you fish with this type of fly Davie?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi David, I have pasted some info on Carrie Stevens which was written about her and her flies especially the one she in best known for which is the Grey Ghost...I hope you find it interesting... All the very best Davie.. This is a timeless streamer pattern originally tied by Carrie Stevens of Rangeley, Maine. Stevens had fished with bait throughout her life, but on 1 July 1924, she decided it was time to create a fly of her own and test it in the Upper Dam pool. A friend, noted duck-decoy carver and angler Charles “Shang” Wheeler (1872-1949), had shared a streamer fly with Stevens in 1920. Wheeler tied the fly based on an English pattern, and he encouraged her to try her hand at the art.On that particular day in 1924, Stevens resolved to simulate a smelt in the water, and she tied gray feathers onto a hook. She marched to the pool and began to cast, catching some salmon and trout. A little bit later she got a bite on her “Shang’s Go Get-um” streamer, struggled for about an hour, then landed a brook trout that weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and measured 24.75 inches; Stevens’ brook trout was the largest taken in thirteen years at the Upper Dam pool. She entered her catch in an annual fishing contest held by Field & Stream magazine and took second place. The following year, in 1925, the magazine’s editor decided to publish Stevens’ written account of her trophy catch. The sentence “He was caught with a Thomas rod, nine feet in length, a Hardy reel, an Ideal line, and a fly I made myself” was read around the world. The fly she used for her trophy catch was incorrectly recorded as being a Gray Ghost, and orders for this fly began to arrive immediately.The Gray Ghost was used for trolling and casting and imitated smelt, forage fish for the trout and landlocked salmon in the nearby rivers and lakes where her husband guided. It had the color of the then popular wet flies for brook trout but carried the Rangeley-style long, slim proportions to match the body shape of the smelt. The fly’s utility is wide-ranging, and it is my go-to pattern when fishing the rivers near the Wachusett Reservoir, where I’ve duped many a brown, rainbow, and brookie gorging on the massive population of smelt.

[@davidprice5707]

Thank you so much for this comprehensive answer and helping me to understand, @@DavieMcPhail. All the best to you

[@1975micka]

de getoonde exemplaren zijn deze ergens te koop

[@sfeinberg1]

Davie, where do you find those beautiful bucktails with such straight, fine fibers?

[@DavieMcPhail]

Hi Stephen, I have found the larger bucktails for saltwater flies are the ones I prefer though as the fibre length is longer and usually straighter...I also like to comb them while using a hairdryer as this will help to straighten the fibres as this is what I did with the piece I used in the video before tying the fly....You can also do this before you tye the wing on or after tying the fly as well.. All the very best Davie..