Roadkill

I like a Flexament type glue and make my own out of Shoe Goo and you can thin it with toluene. A great book is Klausmeyer's Tying Classic Freshwater Streamers.

If I remember correctly, Carrie attributed the success of her flies to the action of her glued together wings.

The correct answer if there is one, is that there are many styles of soft hackles and flymphs. Some antique North County Spiders show hackles that would trail well past the hook bend. The West Country School doesn't necessarily agree with the North Country in fly design and both catch fish. I would suggest that the more important question is... How do you measure the bug you are trying to imitate rather than concentrating on a hook? You can use various hooks for weight variation while tying the same size fly. What is it about the natural that are you imitating legs, wings, shuck? The same style of SH or Flymph will vary a great deal when you compare mayflies, caddis and midges. The same insect will vary depending on the lifestage you can imitate. Are you fishing it as a nymph, larva, pupa, emerger, cripple, or adult-subsurface egg laying, spent, or drowned? Fishing soft hackles and flymphs is more about observing the naturals in your area and imitating them than imitating other tyers.

Here is one of my typical portable benches that i started making years ago. This one fits in a flip top storage box with all the materials and hardware to set up at Expo tying tables.

If you get really serious about making leaders I suggest you read Drag Free Drift. http://globalflyfisher.com/reviews/books/bookbase/show_single.php?id=40

I look for them at Craft stores and flyshops. I never pass up a skin that looks interesting because you never know if you will find it again.

I cut my strips with single edge razor blades on a jig I made to hold the skins.

I have made and used my own for several years, having made my own knotted tapered leaders for decades before my first furled leader. I make all of mine out of different test mono line generally for 4,6, & 9 Wt rods. I love them for dry fly fishing with their great presentation. If you get serious about making some see this forum. http://furledleaders.proboards.com

When it comes to keeping tension on your tying with a hanging bobbin, Less Is Less. If you never let go or don't mind added bulk from extra knots less doesn't matter. Just tie more flies to bulk up your tying muscles!

I also make my own (after decades of making my own tapered leaders) and love the energy transfer for dry fly presentation. For serious discussion see http://furledleaders.proboards.com

I have been pleased with a collection of Cabelas Stowaway rods including 8 wts and they are on sale.

I recently tied 10 different RATS out of Hairwing and Tube Flies for Salmon and Steelhead by Chris Mann another good book with lots of background.

Here is my cased caddis for my favorite bug the October Caddis. I let the caddis go to the hard work of making the case and let Water Ouzels collect them and pile them on rocks for me to collect. I collect them in the Fall while fishing and make several at a time. Drill out the case hole in the rear, insert the hooks, fill with silicone and set them aside to dry. The next day I add the herl and legs. Can't get much closer to matching the local hatch.

Don't forget furriers, I have a great supply of scraps that I got just by walking into fur shops in a city and asking. Turned out that one of the shops had an owner who was a flyfisherman and I returned later for more with some of my fur bodied flies in hand for his next outing. Clean, soft, premium materials.

Beautiful fly Hans! Was this tied for fishing the Sava in Slovenia?

speyguy Frank said it very well! Be sure to learn about using Quality Bronze Mallard. The ordinary bronze mallard can be an exercise in frustration when setting the wings. Google it for some directions. I prefer to use wool dubbing rather than yarn but it is just a personal preference. Have fun!!

A number of NW Salmon and Steelhead flyfishers have gone to them for ease of hook change. If you are down and dirty in a rocky stream and set the hook "when in doubt" when the fly ticks a rock, the points can take a beating and the fly is still perfectly fishable. With a tube fly you just change to a new hook instead of retiring a battered hook fly. If you actually lose the hook and tube fly the loss isn't any greater than one fly, and the hooks for the tubes can be much more reasonable priced than many Steelhead and Salmon irons to tie longer flies.

NJ I don't know the size and it varies a little with the flair I put on the tubes with a lighter. I just go to the plumbing section of the local hardware store and match up the tube with their bulk plastic tubing. I also hit the necklace beading section of large craft stores, some of their flexible plastic tubes are hot colors.

I don't fish a lot of tubes & I don't spend a lot on my tubes. I fish with custom T-14 or lead tips to get down and like a light fly for movement so I don't buy the metal tubes. I go to the cosmetics section of the dollar store and buy the cotton swabs with the plastic tubes, hundreds of long tubes for a 1$.

A half dozen steelhead flymphs.

Love it Carl!! Bring one to Albany for a closer look.

I like a renegade dry fly that can be fished wet.

Roadkill comes from a project of mine many years ago to make a vise clamp for my steering wheel so I can tie in AC comfort at streamside. I made one for a friend and signed Roadkill Flytying Company on the back and attached a warning not to tie while driving. It also fit because of the many flies I have tied with roadkill.

JohnP I don't have my OC dubbing mix made out of Aunt Lydia yarn handy but here is a close sub made out of dyed rabbit mixed with sparkle yarn. It is a blend of Orange, Gold and Brown. Hook is a Dai Riki 899 #4. The body is dubbing put in a loop of Orange 3/0 monocord, then ribbed with gold wire. The hackle is rooster pheasant rump.

Beautiful fly and tie. I would suggest that you try one as a flymph. October Caddis are my favorite bug and have provided me with many hours of great trout fishing. I blend up some OC orange dubbing out of Aunt Lydia's rug yarn, rib it with gold wire and hackle it with pheasant. I think the wider translucent profile is a plus on the fly.