bodies... is thin always the goal?

[throwinflys 0]

as i progress in fly tying i'm finding more and more ways to reduce the size of the bodies of my flys. As an example, I was tying x-caddis last night and the pattern i'm working off of has a fine, non tapered body. i chose to add a slight taper into my fly but by the time the 10th fly came along, the bodies were nice and even and tight. This led me to the question... is there suck a thing as making a body too thin? or as long as it has a definable taper and all of your material it tyed in well does it not matter? I've seen a few adams patterns where the bodies are much fatter than the bodies on my adams. i'm wondering if i'm doing something wrong?

[lostnwilderness 0]

I think of it this way, go to a creek and check out a bug. Use a magnifying glass if you can. I would be willing to bet 90% of us tie our flies to big and to fluffy, especially dries. Kuddo's if in your tieing you think they might be getting to small!

[TheCream 0]

"Always" and "never" are tricky words in fly tying. There are just about always exceptions, so I never try to use the words "always" and "never."

[switch10 0]

For me, thin is always the goal. As few thread wraps as possible.

[flytire 0]

thick, thin, tapered forwad, tapered backward. the real bug dictates the body size & shape

[RickZieger 0]

A K Best in "Production Fly tying" makes the statment that most flies in bins are tied with to much material.

Most of my flies are now tied alot thinner than anything I find in catalogue or bins.

They seems to work for me

 

Rick .

[zOnk 0]

This past weekend I attended a tying seminar with Bob Clouser and subject of material density was a recurring theme throughout the afternoon. To quote Mr Clouser on the reality of correctly tied, sparse flies, "If I tied flies with the right amount of material, people would never buy them."

 

Even though I know sparse is better, I can't help but add one more turn of hackle on soft hackles to satisfy my own visual pleasures. I think we are all guilty of making things look right in the vice.

[Curtis Fry 0]

I find that Uncle Ken has some good advice on body proportion and size:

 

[rockworm 0]

If you are truly "matching the hatch" your bodies will usually be slim.

 

But trout are opportunists and will often try something that doesn't look like an anorexic mayfly spinner. Just like you and I they occassionally like a chewy mouthful. (Trout love grasshoppers, don't they?)

[DryFlies4Life 0]

Most anglers fly's, when placed with a natrual insect will have to big of a body, particularly around the abdomen I've noticed. that said often times it can to small too. A lot of the beetle imitations, and hoppers using a dubbing thorax will have to small of an abdomen.

 

the answer for if you tying to big or small is go to your local stream and find some of the insects you imitating and compare to your fly. Just remember insects of the same species can vary in size and shape from one stream to another, so an exact imitation in one place may be to large somewhere else.

[shoebop 0]

"Always" and "never" are tricky words in fly tying. There are just about always exceptions, so I never try to use the words "always" and "never."

They are used far too much, Period! Flytying or not.

[utyer 0]

While always and never (as has been stated already,) are tricky terms in most endeavors, I do prefer much thinner bodies on many of my patterns. My favorite X Caddis pattern uses pearl flashabou or crystal flash for the body. The shuck is tied in at the thorax, and the flash is used to wrap it down the hook. Then the flash is reversed and wrapped back up. I don't even use thread to wrap the shuck down. This would add two additional layers of thread, which in my view are not necessary. The body is then coated with a thinned application of flex cement. Then a sparse wing is tied in. This has been such a good pattern for me while fishing caddis hatches, I rarely use anything else.

 

Midges in my view should be very thin in the abdomen. A single flat layer of thread back and returned to the front is enough body for me. The hook itself is often thicker than the natural midge larvae. A very small build up for a thorax (usually with thread,) is all I use. I tie griffith gnats with the finest peacock herl I can find, and rib with a strand of organza from a ribbon. I usually twist the herl, organza, and hackle together and wind up the hook in one pass.

 

Thee ARE times when I want a robust profile. Stonefly nymphs are quite hefty, so a yarn body is what I use. I make two passes with the yarn for the abdomen, and a third layer for the thorax. Then just 3 or 4 turns of hackle to represent the legs. This is Charlie Brooks' pattern, very simple, and tied in the round. Basically its just a woolly worm with no hackle on the back half of the fly.

[sunsignarcher 0]

Im very new to this also.

 

After plowing through Cravens "Basic Fly Tying" theres one of his lines in particular that plays over and over in my head no matter what I'm tying.

 

"Thin to win"

[Roofish 0]

Less is Best