the eleventh...

I screwed around at the vice today and tied a fly using pheasant, tinsel, marabou, and rubber legs.  I just needed to breakout...if it catches fish it will be called the "midwest farmer's daughter" if it doesn't catch fish it will require no such name.

 I was trying to figure out how a fly might really skate on a long down and across swing and decided that I'd tie a muddler that didn't so much skate as ski...i.e. single ski  (see pic below).  It may work or it may be a total flop but the end result was pretty much what I had in mind.

I also wrapped some more purple deer hair (more or less) in the shape of a muddler.  These should be a pretty safe fall back if Ol' One Ski doesn't pan out.

The boxes are starting to fill up...

My eldest daughter decided that she wanted to wrap today and given the bright and wild colors of many steelhead flies (and the material I had on the table) it seemed obvious that she'd be drawn to the process.
I stepped in and showed her how to get things started, but then undid all of my work so she could start over and do it all herself.  I think she did an excellent job.

She picked the colors and materials...

A close up of my daughter's handiwork...