Loren
Williams
New York
A
long time resident of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I now reside in Upstate New
York with my wife Heather, daughter Mickayla, and son Ryan.
Being the husband of a pastor, much of my time is spent at home with our children and at various church settings, but now that I no longer work I am able to pursue my passions at a much greater velocity.
Much of the time I am found in my "shop" (my embellished term for "fly tying bench") where I tie both commercial and custom flies. Most tiers I know have fallen into some type of niche where they concentrate their voluntary time. I simply love the classic trout flies brought forth by the likes of Theodore Gordon, Fran Betters, Harry Darbee and the Dette’s, the gents from the Letort, and George Harvey but to name a few. In my eyes there is nothing more attractive than a properly dressed modern Catskill dry fly. I appreciate the preliminary versions with their long tails and oversized whispy hackles under which the long slender wings are mounted, but I really prefer to tie, and fish, the modern compact versions made possible by the quality genetic hackles we are blessed with.
With
that said, I have opted to list but a few of my favored dry flies as I choose to
replicate them. Nothing profound by way of my creativity—just a feeble attempt
to honor what I hold dear. I fear that, with the technological and materialistic
advancements in the industry, many new to the sport will find themselves without
appreciation of these great patterns. In addition, I have included some other
favorites—both well known and of my own design. I truly hope you enjoy looking
at them as much as I enjoy tying them. Perfection is a goal yet realized—and
hopefully never will be—for me.
Aside from tying flies, I also
guide clients to salmon, trout and steelhead. An occupation that I find
exceptionally gratifying despite my newness to it.
My personal past-times include hunting, various types of fishing, gardening and family-oriented affairs.
Be sure to check out Loren's web site at: www.flyguysoutfitting.com
Select One of Loren's Flies:
Loren’s
Revis Stone (Instructions)
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Tier: Loren Wiliams
Thread:
Brown 6/0. Tail:
Ringneck Pheasant Tail fibers fibers. Abdomen:
Light Gauge Copper Wire. Wingcase:
Pearlescent Flashabou. Thorax:
Peacock Herl. Legs:
Ringneck Pheasant Tail Fibers, tied rather short and to each side. Head:
Copper bead. Notes:
A customer from central Pennsylvania made me aware of this pattern as he placed
an order to prepare for a trip out West. After locating the recipe, that I
found most desirable, I just had to whip some up for myself. It looks that
good! Many folks think that commercial tiers have a never ending list of
fly patterns dedicated to memory. Surprise! This one was new to me. I
have now entered this fly into my Top 10 nymphs category. I'm not sure yet
which one gets bumped. I think the combination of subtle flash and all
that weight helps the fly fish a bit better than most. I don’t prefer it
to the PT by any means but it is a sassy lad when run down the heart of a deep
meaty run! I
like to tie the legs and tail short, no longer than ½ the shank in length. The
legs should be bound to the sides of the fly. Look at any nymph short
tails and short legs. By no means do the legs ever come off the bottom of
the bug. Select Another Fly: Loren’s
Revis Stone (Instructions)
Return
to Loren's Introduction.
Tier: Loren Wiliams
Thread:
Dark Olive 6/0. Wings:
Wood Duck Breast Feather; divided and upright. Tail:
Dun Hackle fibers. Body:
Stripped peacock quill. I prefer to select quills from an eye that has a
darker tone as I feel that they better represent the true body color of this
particular bug. The quill can be counter-wrapped with fine gold wire but I
prefer to reinforce with cement. Hackle:
Pair of Natural Blue Dun hackles. Notes:
What a simply beautiful fly! Notice that I employ George Harvey’s method of
wrapping the hackle so that the concave (i.e. "dull") side is forward.
I agree with his thesis that the fly rides on a more stable frame this way—and
that the hackles are less likely to lay to the rear after being mouthed by a few
fish. Select Another Fly: Loren’s
Revis Stone (Instructions)
Return
to Loren's Introduction.
Tier: Loren Wiliams
Thread:
Dark Olive 6/0. Tail:
Quill section from a mottled wild turkey wing secondary. Body:
Gold Diamond Braid. Underwing:
Fox Squirrel Tail. Wing:
Quill section from a mottled wild turkey wing secondary. Hackle:
Natural Deer hair. Head:
Natural Deer hair, spun and clipped to form a bullet-shape. Notes:
This pattern has evolved a bit over the years. From that evolution I have
taken a liking to the diamond braid and the more tightly spun head as departures
from the original. Depending on the size and color, this pattern can
imitate a whole host of aquatic life forms. A fantastic trait for a
pattern! You
can either clip two separate quill sections to form the tail and wing, or clip
one wide section, double it over and trim the tips to match. Select Another Fly: Loren’s
Revis Stone (Instructions)
Return
to Loren's Introduction.
Tier: Loren Wiliams
Thread:
Black 6/0. Wings:
White Calf body hair; stacked, divided and upright. Tail:
Natural Coastal deer hair; stacked. Body:
Red floss sandwiched between peacock herl; body length should be ½ the hook
shank in total. Hackle:
Brown or Coachman. I prefer my Wulff’s to be very fully dressed so I opt
to use 3 prime genetic hackles.
Coachman brown is preferred but it is quite difficult to find in natural
capes. Notes:
Like all flies, careful attention must be paid to proper proportioning. This is
especially true with this pattern since there are so many materials to
incorporate onto a rather small hunk of iron. Although
I tie these mainly for display, the RW continues to be a very adept attractor
and indicator pattern. Try it in the pocket water where trout seems especially
fond of it’s display. Select Another Fly: Loren’s
Revis Stone (Instructions)
Return
to Loren's Introduction.
Tier: Loren Wiliams
Thread:
Black 6/0. Tail:
Black Goose Biots. Rib:
Heavy Mono Fishing Line (20# test shown). Abdomen:
Mix of 1/3 Black Hares Ear, 1/3 Black Virgin Wool, 1/3 My own hair clippings. Shellback
Wingcase: Wild Turkey Tail Quill section. Thorax:
Same as Abdomen, 2X thick Legs:
Black Goose Biots, 3 pairs. Notes:
I developed this pattern one summer specifically for the Skamania Steelhead and
Atlantic Salmon that Run the Salmon River in Pulaski, New York. It
was after a day where my basic stonefly nymph was just not cutting it against
the wealth of large, nasty naturals crawling around. I felt that due to
the size of the nymphs, something a bit more realistic was in order.
However, I did not want to lose either the effective action of fur or the wide
flat profile of the naturals. Thus
the "Revis" was born. I call it the "Revis" because it
is basically my black fur stonelfy REVISited. It has been a success ever
since, anywhere large stones inhabit. The pattern can also duplicate
Golden Stones with mere adjustments to dubbing and biot colors. I
opted for the 20# mono fishing line rib simply because I had some lying around!
It adds a nice transluscence and an effective, durable rib from which the
abdominal gills are extruded. Tying
Instructions: Coat
two wide segments of a turkey tail with your favorite cement. Set aside to
dry. Attach
thread at head and wrap back to a point just above the barb. Dub
a small ball and attach the goose biots. They should measure a bit less than
½ the shank and be divided. Utilize the natural contour of the biots. Cut
one section of quill and tie in at the dubbing ball by the tips. The quill
section should be about equal to the hook’s gap—maybe even a bit wider. Tie
in a section of mono rib—affix it starting at the midpoint of the shank
)to help you build up some bulk) and wrap back to the tail. Dub
a nicely tapered, yet relatively thick abdomen—terminating at the midpoint
of the shank. (Note: Gray Squirrel Tail dyed black is a nice substitute for
my own hair clippings!) Fold
the turkey quill over the abdomen and secure at the midpoint—it should
just barely roll down over the sides of the thorax. DO NOT trim the excess. Rib
the abdomen with the mono being careful not to pull the shellback down the
side of the abdomen. The first wrap should fall between the tail and the
shellback. You can really snug-up on the ribbing! Secure at the midpoint
BEHIND the exposed turkey quill. Fold
the excess quill back to the rear and secure with thread up to the abdoomen.
Cover the thread wraps and the first 1/8 inch of abdomen with dubbing. A
note on the thorax: When building the thorax it is vital that you cover all
thread wraps with dubbing AND wrap back on the quill tie-in points. In
addition, the thorax should be quite heavily dubbed—at least twice as
thick as the abdomen. Add
one goose biot per side for the first set of legs. Bind them down tightly to
the rear with thread to make them stand out. Cover thread wraps with
dubbing. Fold
the quill over your bodkin to crease and secure the quill just in front of
the legs. Cover thread wraps with dubbing. Add
another set of legs as above—but make these a tad shorter. Fold
quill again as above for second wing case. Add
final set of legs as above—shorter yet. Now—depending
on the size of the hook and the overall length of quill used you can
either: Dub to the front and fold over the remaining quill to form the
head or... Clip another section of quill and secure it by the tips
just ahead of the final set of legs. (I find that this is cleaner and easier
to do if the excess quill from the prior steps is getting too thick and
cumbersome to use.) Then cover the thread wraps with dubbing and continue to
dub to the front. Fold the quill without creasing to form the
head. Build
a nice tapered "head" with thread, whip-finish and cement. Now,
take a very fine pointed and stiff bodkin and proceed to pick out the
dubbing from between each ribbed segment. This will serve to imitate
the gills. Then, using the same tool, pick the dubbing from the sides and
bottom of the thorax so that it protrudes to the sides. This will
serve to add width, flatten the profile, and mimic the activity of the
legs. Now, remove the fly from the vise and grasp the picked-out
dubbing between the thumb and forefinger of each hand (at the same time so
you are gripping the sides of the fly with both hands) and pinch down and
pull out the dubbing. Be careful not to pull out the legs. This
action will further flatten the profile and generally cleans up the fly by
removing the loosest dubbing fibers. Once complete, press the entire
fly between the thumb and forefinger of one hand. Joe
Ackourey showed this technique to me and I have employed it as often as any
other technique when building fur nymphs with that desired wide flat
appearance. If your dubbing contains enough stiff guards hairs it will
retain the profile and produce tremendous action. Select Another Fly: Loren’s
Revis Stone (Instructions)
Return
to Loren's Introduction.
Be sure to visit our on-line store at http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html 
for your tying needs.
Hook:
Mustad #AC80200BR or C49S.
Hook:
Mustad #94840.
Hook:
Mustad #9674 or #79580.
Hook:
Mustad #94840.
Hook:
Mustad #79580, #9674, #C53S, or #80500 (I prefer 4XL hooks).
for your tying needs.