spinsheet

Chris, thanks for the info. On your DVD I mistakenly thought the first three flies, the Ishigaki Kebaris tied by you, Daniel, and Dr. Ishigaki, were meant to be dry flies as they were tied on dry fly hooks with dry fly hackle. Was I wrong on this assumption? If so, and it seems that's the case, why the dry fly hook and the dry fly hackle instead of wet fly hooks and a webbier softer hackle? Thanks for a great DVD, I tied a few of the CDC & Elk and those things float like a cork.

I just started tenkara fishing and decided to tie a tenkara style reverse hackle dry fly. The standard version of this fly has a pretty heavy tread head followed by a reverse hackled cock feather collar and behind that a built up thread body. Instead of the thread head I used dry fly dubbing followed by the hackle and the thread body. I treated it with Gink about two days before using it. It only took about 6 casts before it started sinking. I used my Loon desiccant on it and that worked for another 6 casts and it started sinking again. Would a thread head have floated the fly better than using dry fly dubbing? Perhaps I used too much thread in the body of the fly? I can post an image of the fly but don't have one available at the moment.

Here's a picture. Looks like I may have too much deer hair flared behind the head. I got this pattern from Skip Morris' Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple II.

I just tied a few Dave's Hoppers and couldn't wait to try them out and see how I did. I noticed that they are floating on their side and not in a prone position they way I imagine they should. I used a store bought one a while back and if I remember correctly that one floated prone. My guess is that this is not good. Has anyone else had this issue? I'm wondering what I might be able to do to resolve this. From what I can see mine don't quite have the nicely compacted deer hair heads of the store bought ones and the hackle that's palmered around the body is slightly longer. Not much I can do about packing the deer hair tighter till I get better but I'll try trimming the hackle shorter and try again.

I found some of my double edged blades and trimmed the 'frog' up a bit. Didn't want to take too much off at the first go around. I can always take more off but I can't put it back on... It might even be salvageable. I also tried to tie a basic mouse. No tail, ears, or anything else, just working on getting the hair right. I tried packing it as tight as I could. I used the empty body of a pen. Would an actual hair packer do a better job?

I'm looking to catch some small Rockfish, Perch, or anything else that might be hungry in some of the rivers around the Chesapeake Bay and thought that a small shrimp pattern might be just thing to fish in the aquatic grasses in the Bay area. I weighted the hook with some lead wire to get it down to the bottom. As soon as I shake this nasty sinus infection and plan on trying this thing out. I know the ribbing is a bit uneven, I'll do better on the next one. I would welcome any critiques or suggestions.

Thanks for all the advise. I bought some deer body hair and some 210 denier flat waxed nylon. I couldn't find any GSP thread. Will the 210 denier be sufficient? I also trimmed with scissors but I do have some double edge blades for my shaver. I assume that will do a better job than the scissors? I might also try one of my straight blade razors. I have a few that are shave ready and they might be a lot easier to handle for this. I also used the empty body of a pen to pack the hair on the hook. Would an actual hair packer do a better job? I don't mind buying the right tool for the right job but if some household object does just as good a job I'm good with that too. I bought deer body hair dyed green, some that was natural, and some deer belly hair that was white. Couldn't find any deer body hair dyed black. Will deer belly hair work for spinning? I was hoping to get some green, black, and white in there as that was in the pattern that I'm trying to copy. I also don't feel that my hook had enough shank. I picked up some 4xL size 4 hooks. Would that be the right size for a bass frog?

I have mixed thoughts about kits. When I first started off I had a friend that was an accomplished fly tier so he guided me in my choice of tools and materials. He did insist on quality tools and five years later I'm still using the same tools although I have added a lot of nonessential but nice to have tools. Not everyone has the benefit of a friend that can guide you like that so a kit may be a good way to start. I bought my daughter a $90 kit and it came with all of the essential tools and materials but after looking them over I felt that I could have done better with the same $90 if I had simply picked out the tools and materials from the shelf. The scissors were of rather poor quality, the material was OK but could have been better, etc. I'm not saying I wasted $90 but I feel I could have done a bit better, of course that's with the knowledge of five years of fly tying. With no knowledge and no friend to help guide you a kit may be the way to go. Just be ready to eventually replace everything in it...

I remember back in the early 70s when I was about 8 years old I got some fly fishing book from the library and looked at the black and white images of some of the flies. I put an Eagle Claw hook (built in leader and all) in my Dad's tool vise, wrapped hair from the family St. Bernard with my Mom's sewing thread, and if the timing where right would catch bluegill all day long with that thing. Would it catch a hook weary trout in a catch and release stream? Doubtful, but that's not what I was after. I think that just about any fly will catch a fish, just not any fish. Bluegill and the like tend to be less selective about flies than some other fish. A trout that's been stung by a hook or two might be less apt to take a fly that doesn't look quite right. Bass seem to have serious mood swings, sometimes they hit anything that strikes their interest and looks meaty and other time will ignore anything other than the perfect fly. If you're trout fishing during a hatch you almost have to match it, otherwise they may hit anything from a wooly bugger to a grasshopper. So just have realistic expectations with your flies. Until your skill level increases just don't expect to take trout from a stream with lots of fishing pressure during a caddis hatch. While your working on creating that perfectly symmetrical Elk Hair Caddis the bluegill will be more than happy to pounce on whatever you toss their way.

I think that mistake number one was that I used bucktail and not regular deer hair for this one. Would that make a difference?

How hard can spinning deer hair be? Looks easy enough on the videos that I watched... Well, now I know. After breaking the thread about four times and dropping hair all over the place I realize this might not be so easy after all. Not sure if I used too much at one time or maybe not enough. I was using 6/0 thread and kept breaking it. Is that thread too light or am I just putting too much pressure on it? If anyone has any tips or a good video for someone that is 'deer hair challenged' I would sure appreciate it!

It's hard to go wrong with a couple of woolly buggers. Some size 14 hooks, chenille, marabou, thread, and some inexpensive webby hackle feathers. Tools needed are the bare minimum, a vise, scissors, bobbin, and hackle pliers.

I also must concur with the two that brought up Skip Morris' book 'Fly Tying Clear and Simple'. It's well worth the money. I also like his 'Clear and Simple II' for more advanced techniques. If you're going to tie dry flies there is no getting around using the more expensive dry fly hackle. The initial investment is a bit steep (I paid about $60 for a cape) but it will tie hundreds of flies.

Is there a general rule as to when you tie in a hackle feather from the tip end or the base? I've seen both techniques used and wasn't sure if it was simply a matter of preference or if there was something more to it.

I usually buy from Great Feathers. Of course they're my local fly shop but nonetheless, they are great. Email them with any and all questions. You won't be disappointed.

I'm beginning to feel a bit confused about the various types of hackle out there and what each is supposed to be used for. I have the following: Genetic rooster cape Genetic hen cape India hen back Strung saddle It's my understanding that the rooster cape is for mainly dry flies. Would this be collars, beards, and palmering? Should I not use it for wet flies or does it also have a purpose there? What about the hen cape? Those feathers are not quite as long, webbier, and have rounded tips. Are these used for mainly dry, or wet, or both? I'm not seeing a huge difference between the India hen back and the hen cape but that' probably more me not knowing what to look for. How are those two different and what am I supposed to use each for? The strung saddle I got at Bass Pro and it is really a lot shabbier looking than the other stuff that I have. Is that mainly for palmering large wet flies. Does it have a specific use than that of my other hackle? Thanks!

I just watched a Youtube video of someone creating a fly by spinning deer's hair. I've been wondering how that was done so I gave it a shot. I would post a picture of it but I would be afraid of getting laughed out of this forum. This is one very challenged fly. It was lots of fun making, but boy do I have work to do. I suppose that a very hungry and nearsighted bass might take it but that's about it. Might anyone have any directions for a VERY beginner level bass fly using spun deer hair? Or at least any tips for a very challenged fly tier?

@bowmike - we do most of our fishing for bluegill, they'll bite just about anything so I doubt that she'll be disappointed.

Any idea on what percentage of fly fishermen tie their own flies versus buying them? I would certainly expect in this forum that it's heavily weighted to the 'tie your own' group

My flies do look like real insects, the kind you find squashed on the sidewalk. Once I get past that 'squashed on the sidewalk' look I might entertain the thought of selling a few but till then that would be a good way to make enemies I should probably stop using head cement on my flies (except for the occasional good one) so I would be easier to cut everything off and start over. Or maybe just file them away so I can have a good visual representation of my improvement. My 11 year old daughter wanted to tie a fly of her own creation. Let me tell you, that kid has an imagination, that looks like a bug from some fantasy world!

I guess that it's something that I might be interested in down the road but my fly tying would have to get a lot better! It would be a nice way to finance the hobby I suppose. I did that with straight razors. I shave with them and started honing, restoring, and selling them and it's a great way to finance that passion. It took a few years to get where I felt that my razors and honing were marketable and I'm sure that it will take a year or two if I decide to try that with fly tying.

I hope you don't mind me asking, and I'm not being nosy, but how much do you get for a fly that the shop sells for $3.00? How long does it take you to tie such a fly? This is just my curiosity getting the best of me. I never really thought about it till I starting tying and saw how difficult it was (is).

Let me start by saying that I have no delusions of being a commercial tier or even selling any flies. That being said... I was in Bass Pro Shop and another local fishing shop and saw that flies are running anywhere from $.50 to $5.00 (or in that ballpark). I'm just curious as to what the business model is for that. Does Bass Pro (for a fly that they sell for $3.00) buy the fly from Orvis for $1.50 who pays the tier $.75 per fly? Do people actually make a living just tying flies or is it more a labor of love? Again, I'm not in anyway trying to break into the business (I would starve), just wondering how it works?

This is a question from someone who has never been shown how to properly fly fish. I attempted to fly fish about 30 years ago and actually caught a fish or two but I simply muddled my way through. I will be fishing farm ponds and the like for panfish and largemouth in Maryland. Here is my question... How does one actually bring in the fish? Do you actually reel it in as you would on a baitcaster or spinning reel? Or are you pulling the line in with your non-rod holding hand? Is it a combination? Does it depend on the size of the fish?

I live in Annapolis also. Do you fish the Bay? What tidal waters are you fishing, do you fish brackish or fresh?