YosemiteSam

Hey like that tying table. Makes me want to go see what I can scrounge up from the garage.

I found one of my very first flies that I tied from about 12-13 years ago. I had to take a picture and share it. When I stopped drinking my fly tying improved dramatically. I think....

Attractors, from my understanding, are patterns that are not intended to "match the hatch". They are fished to just "attract" a bite as opposed to imitating any particular insect. I think they're just supposed to look like any ol' bug that a fish might like.

I like redington. The Surge is around $80 I believe for the 3/4 wt.

utyer, that was very informative. Thank you.

Cast and blast trip to Alaska.

I'm a chef, with emphasis in the dietary and nutritional field.

J Stockard on the throne for me too, thank you very much.

Despite what Fisherboy said, you can only get 50 nymphs from on bunny. After you've tied your 50th nymph, you have to pass the skin along to the first person who told you that you can only get 50 nymphs from one bunny. Oh, that would be me. I'll send you my address when you're ready. lol, that's good stuff guys. Tell you what, I'll send you the next one I shoot. You have to skin and cure it, so by the time it gets down your way it may stink. Be prepared. Fisherboy0301, the actual number is 488,012. So Mike is the closest without going over, he wins the Showcase Showdown.

Bagged some great fly-tying material today. How many nymphs do you think I can get from a single bunny?

Thanks a bunch for the advice from everyone! Andre - I haven't fished a lot of chenille body flies, so I never thought about how soaked it would get. Great point! Hatchet Jack - Noted. Great advice on trying to not wrap the hackle on the tag ends of the chenille and wing. I don't think of these things. ditz2 - I will have to check out Hans now that he gets a second nod on here. This forum is awesome!

I truly want and need critiques, tips, and instruction. To myself, my flies never look like I want them so I need more experienced tiers to let me know what I can do to achieve the goals in fly-tying I set for myself.

Also, Craickaig, I like what you said about "Use your thread as if...." I'm going to keep that one in mind as I tie. Thanks again!

Thanks for the replies, gentlemen. Crackaig, I never really thought of tying in the thread base anywhere other than right behind the eye. Now that you mention it, I believe this tip will help with several of the flies I tie. Thanks! mikechell, Yes, that was kind of what I was thinking, but looking at the fly itself, and not the picture, I think it is just that I didn't wrap the hackle where it was touching on consecutive wraps. I think it is ever so slightly "palmered" if you will. Is that the correct terminology?

Thanks vb1971 Hook : Daiichi 1180 size 12 Thread: Danville 6/0 Black Body: Yellow and Black Chenille Wings: Wood Duck Hackle: Brown

I'd never fished a bumble bee patter before until last year at the family cabin, I found a bumble bee fly in an old fly wallet. It had to be 30 years old. I took it out, fished the next day, and caught a brookie on the first cast. It immediately started to unravel and come apart. I've tried to tie one based on that fly. I also wanted to just practice certain techniques like splitting wings, winding hackles, whip-finishing, etc.........so I came up with this. Tell me what you think. Why does the hackle look funny? My hand whip-finish could be better, too, I think.

I betcha anything that Bugger would catch some fish. When I started tying them, I made the tails far too long. Looks good to me.

That is what I do with the rabbits I shoot. If you're just going to be using them for fly tying and eventually cutting them up, I'm not sure the stretching is necessary. It's just more ascetically pleasing. As long as you coat the skin side with borax and let it sit for a week or two, you should be good.

These are all very good tips. Just what a forum entitled "Beginner's Corner" should contain I think. I stopped tying for ten years, and like others, feel like I had to start all over again. Even then, when I first started tying I only had maybe 30-40 that I completed so it wasn't like I was a pro back then either. Quitting drinking helped, too......

That's what I was thinking. I didn't know the proper term for "spade bit". Thanks, mikechell!

Very nice! I was just wondering how your project was going. I've always been curious about this, for the larger top "holes", do you just use a drill press with a 1 1/4" bit? Or something similar? Again, very nice!

They could be pheasant tail feathers. If you have a couple pheasant tail feathers and some peacock herl you could tie up a whole fly box full of nymphs.

I forced myself to sit and practice a whip finish by hand with thread and a bare hook. Over and over and over..... Granted, it's completely different than finishing a dressed fly. You will, however, get the idea eventually and be able to gain confidence in a hand whip-finish.

I take it from your book collection that you fish Colorado a bit.....give me a wave if you see a man in an Elmer Fudd hat fishing the upper Rio Grande this summer!

Like tidewaterfly said, a fly that sinks slowly can also be good to fish with. Bluegills and crappies in particular will have no issues with hammering a slowly dropping fly. Keep at it.