better flies

[bassmaster876 0]

whenever i tie my flies i can never seem to make them look as good as anyone else does. any tips or ideas why this happens and how i can better myself on this?

[SCOwens 0]

I have found that if I am concentrating on a certain pattern the more I tie the better they look. So practice I would say. I have been tying for about 7 years and I am always learning new techniques. The market keeps me on my toes always creating more material to add the the fly fishing arsenal. Any patterns in particular??

[Crackaig 0]

That is a broad question. Far to general to be able to give specific answers to. Over the years I have come to realise that the secret to doing anything well is more attention to detail.

 

To go beyond that we will need more details. It will take commitment from you. You will need to put in serious practice. Some years ago I started a project to write a book on just this subject. My starting point was someone who had completed a basic fly tying course, perhaps with a club. The end point was Oliver Edwards Flytiers Masterclass. This struck me as the gap in the market. Unfortunately the results are no longer available in print. I have vague plans to do an E.reader version, but it may be years away from really happening.

 

If you let us know the points you want to work on then we will offer all the help we can.

 

Cheers,

C.

[mikechell 0]

As with anything ... go back to the basics. You cannot hope to tie a classic pattern if you can't do a simple SHWAPF. If you don't know what a SHWAPF is, you haven't tied enough basic patterns, yet.

[Crackaig 0]

Perhaps I'd better tie some more basic patterns I haven't a clue what SHWAPF is!!!

Cheers,

C.

[Piker20 0]

I'm sure that's Simple Hairwing With A Primary Feather fly. Or maybe its Soft Hackled Wet And Pretty Fluff fly?

[Stippled Popper 0]

When I began tying, after A while I realized I wasn't in a race. When I slowed down, my tying began to improve. As mentioned above

paying attention to detail and proportion while tying and tying a number of whatever fly should help. Practice helps if you are doing it

correctly. If you are doing it wrong, it only ingrains bad habits which are harder to break later on.

[Peterjay 0]

whenever i tie my flies i can never seem to make them look as good as anyone else does. any tips or ideas why this happens and how i can better myself on this?

 

That's what this site is here for. Pick the category of flies you're interested in and do some reading. You won't live long enough to absorb all the information that's available here.

[mikechell 0]

http://www.flyangler...ying/beginners/

 

Swept Hackle, Wingless, All Purpose Fly ... I just used that as an example of simple flies a tier should be able to do. For beginner tiers, the above link is a great tutorial on the basic tying steps. It's a video class format (From Al Campbell) for teaching the basics, starting with tools and materials.

 

I don't do the forum there anymore ... but the beginners sections is very entertaining and informative.

[Crackaig 0]

Thanks Mike.

Cheers,

C.

[Chase Creek 0]

I've been tying for 40 years +/-. When I started, I would try to tie any pattern and all patterns that I saw in the magazines, then try a different one. Didn't seem to be getting anywhere. So, I started tying a lot of flies of the same pattern, and they improved quickly. In other words, don't jump all over the place with the patterns you tie, stick with one until it looks good to you, then try another pattern. You don't learn to ride a unicycle by riding it one day, then ride a bicycle the next day, then the unicycle again, and so on. You keep at the unicycle.

And, as said before, slow down. It's not a race. A good tier is not necessarily a fast tier. Most of us aren't production tiers, we do it as a hobby to relax and enjoy.

My .02.

[netabrookie 0]

I'm glad that you put the link in Mikechell. Al Campbell was an awesome fly tyer and could explain the basics better than most. I found that site about 4 or 5 years ago and have learned a lot. There is some great weaves in the advanced section but I wouldn't suggest trying them until some of the more basic skills are mastered. There is more than enough material on this forum to learn from and the step by steps are second to none that I have found elsewhere. I completely agree with everyone about the practice one pattern until it looks good and then move on to something else and repeat the process. Take Care, Tony

[tidewaterfly 0]

Bassmaster, I've been tying now for over 47 years, and started with no instruction at all. I also tied what I saw in magazines when I started. The internet didn't exist then, so you at least have that advantage. As the others have said, practice is the one tip that will certainly improve anyone's tying. However, my biggest problem was proportions, which IMO is what gives a fly it's appearance. Aesthetics & beauty aside, as we all view such things differently, even a fly tied in a single color can be beautiful when the proportions are correct. Fly proportions are always relative to the hook being used. When you get it right, you know it looks correct. When you practice, concentrate on your proportions, and your flies appearance will improve. Practice of course will also improve & streamline your technique, which in turn will allow you to tie a bit faster & still tie a better looking & more durable fly.

 

I tied commercially too for many years, and found that the best way was to tie in assembly line fashion, where I tied in steps. For example, if I was tying Lefty's Deceivers, I might only be tying the tails on the hooks, then once they were all done, I would go to just doing bodies. Then proceed to the next step. In doing this it kept the use of materials at one time to a minimum & all I had to concentrate on was a single step, and the correct proportions. Boring yes, but in the end it allowed me to tie a lot of flies faster than I could by tying each one completely & they all still looked the same, and all had the same proportions.

 

It would be helpful if you could post some pictures of the flies you've been tying. Then folks here can critique what you're doing & offer advise on how to improve.

 

As Peterjay indicated, the information here & the knowledge will take a lifetime to learn.

[Piker20 0]

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