Golden Arrow

The Golden Arrow was created as a tribute to my father, Francis, a prolific bowhunter.  This past season, on the 41-year anniversary of his first deer, my father harvested his 100th whitetail deer with a bow.  This arrow was presented to him in honor of this amazing achievement.  Though not a flyfisherman, my father instilled in me and my brothers the ideals of good sportsmanship from an early age.  So, though not a bowhunter, I was honored to use my flytying talents to recognize in a unique way his bowhunting passion and prowess.

I wanted the Golden Arrow to have a traditional aesthetic but at the same time look as though it were flying through the air.  Even more important, I wanted it to look deadly.  The arrow's point was significantly more difficult to create than the points on the hooks I've made: It has two barbs, each identical to the other, and the most prominent gutters I've ever made - all shaped from a single piece of 16-gauge gold wire.  I wanted the fletching to look like the mottled turkey feathers traditionally used in Native American arrows, which is why I used kori bustard.  The fine mottling on this beautiful bird was perfect in scale for this purpose.  But, in the interest of creating the illusion of flight, I opted to cut the fletching into a much more dramatic shape than is typically found in traditional arrows.  Finally, I draped each fletch with an Amherst pheasant crest to make it look as though blood were flying off the arrow upon its exit from its victim.  To enhance this effect, I enveloped each fletch with a strip of scarlet silk on either side.  On many levels, the arrow was more difficult than any fly I've tied, and I am quite pleased with the result.  More importantly, my father really appreciated it.

Price:  Not for sale.  However, a similar piece may be custom ordered, and photographs of this arrow may be purchased.  Please contact me at davis@davisflydesigns.com.

Edition Size:  1 (One of a kind)

Release Date:  3/19/10

Shaft and Point:  Metal: 18K gold.  Length: 6.0 cm (2.4 in).  Stamped on rear side with my signature, a script 'SD'.

Thread:  UTC Ultra, 140 denier, color Wood Duck.

Fletching:  Three small strips from Kori Bustard back feathers, positioned on the shaft at 120° intervals.

Crests:  One Amherst Pheasant crest over each fletch.

Floss:  Scarlet silk, divided into quarter strips.  Two strips envelop each fletch.

The Golden Arrow was tied completely in hand (without a vise).  It was tied from back to front in three distinct sections, the thread lacquered with clear acrylic after each section was completed.  This produced a smooth, clear finish over the thread wraps, but allowed the floss to be tied in over the finished thread wraps and remain unlacquered.