The Carrie Stevens Challenge

It’s been a while since i covered any of the long streamers. Over at Global Fly Fisher, Chris Del Plato put together a unique challenge for a few streamer tyers. All you need to do is tie up one of Carrie’s famous Grey Ghosts. Simple. Except that you will need to tie it sans vise, and with only a few basic tools. I have tied a few flies myself without the aid of a vise and I can speak for the challenge this provides.  Below are the rules laid out by Chris.

The Challenge

You have one shot to tie a Gray Ghost by hand, without a vise – just as Carrie herself did.
One try only. One shot, one fly.
No practice, No ‘do-overs’, No backtracking.
No special tools. Bodkin, Bobbin (for thread only) and scissors are the only tools allowed. Feel free to do without them, if you wish.
Please adhere to the original pattern. Generic floss would be an acceptable sub for silk, as would Mylar tinsel for metal.
You may pre-assemble the wings (by hand), just as Carrie did. In fact, I would encourage this in the interest of being true to her methods. The use of glue in this process is also permitted, as there is evidence, based on her millinery background, that she employed it.

Looks like fun.

Click here to see the results of the challenge.

Scott Dasiewich’s Grey Ghost

~ by pacres on February 20, 2008.