Most difficult fly?

[Jolly Red 0]

So far it has been tying on the wings for a classic wet fly. Just cannot get those feather slips to line up then tie in on top of the hook.

[SCOwens 0]

I know most of you are freshwater guys and I am a half freshwater guy but I have been drawn to the salt. I find that my most difficult pattern is one that involves deer spun with other materals, or a synthetic hair pattern (Congo or EP Fiber) blended with sili legs that needs trimming very difficult to avoid chopping them off during trimming

 

I was recently shown a pattern that Panama Red tied up he actually sent me one during a swap, and it is more technical but at first try I found trimming deer hair around a set of eyes was pretty difficult to keep uniform.

 

 

 

That's just my opinion, I got some new curved Dr. Slick Scissors coming in the mail, sure they will help with the trimming

[Stippled Popper 0]

The most difficult fly that I tie is the woven wasp below. The taper of the

under body requires frequently moving the attitude of the hook in the vice

to prevent the knots from slipping down the taper.

 

 

[Christopher K 0]

For me it has to be the green highlander, trout flies the royal wulff is always a pain for me.

[RickZieger 0]

Serendipities for some reason. Also spun deer hair.

My better half says that dog poop looks better than anything I finish with when trying to do these.

 

Rick

[Piker20 0]

Stippledpopper that's great! If you stopped at the first pic and just wound a hackle 3or4 turns round the waist that would be a great trout bug.

[DryFlies4Life 0]

Detached body mayflys where the most technical flys I've tied but I tied them with ease. Latley stonefly nymphs have cuased much frustration. I know the technique and how to tie them but for the life of me I can't get proportions right.

[notenuftoys 0]

Anything with microfibets. I can't split those to save my life.

[Crotalus 0]

Elk flippin' hair caddis, hate em. wing too long, wing too short, wing right length but flared too much, hair butts covering eye, wing hair spinning around hook.

 

I just tie musky flies now

[TheBigHenderson 0]

Muddler Minnows. its always a pain whip finishing them or tyingthem off at all for that matter.

[Boron11mx 0]

Stonefly, Stonefly, Stonefly...... I know the steps, I understand the steps I even have all the right material but having them turn out right is another story, so I buy them.

[Peterjay 0]

No one particular pattern, but I've found that getting the proper balance between function and appearance can be a PITA. Tying flies that catch fish is easy, but making them look good at the same time is often a real challenge.

[Christopher K 0]

I retract my earlier statement, tying today I remembered my worst enemy is the adam's dry fly! I can get them right but only every 3rd one comes out ok. :wallbash:

[Bryon Anderson 0]

I'm with you Crotalus: I gave up on the Elk Hair Caddis years ago, at least on the original Al Troth pattern. I have never--not once, not ever--had one land upright on the water. They either stand on their heads with the hook shank perpendicular to the water surface (how is that even possible?), or they flop over on their sides. I've tried everything that can be done to the wing, tried trimming the hackle flat across the bottom, tried a lot of swearing but to no avail.

I now tie two different variations. One is simply the EHC without the hackle. The other is the same body and wing, but I mount the wing two hook eye-widths behind the eye and use a collar hackle in that space instead of the full-body palmer hackle. Both work just fine, and I've never looked back. My lower-floating versions are better on placid Michigan streams anyway, as the original Troth pattern is designed for rougher water.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Elk flippin' hair caddis, hate em. wing too long, wing too short, wing right length but flared too much, hair butts covering eye, wing hair spinning around hook.

 

I just tie musky flies now

 

I'm with you Crotalus: I gave up on the Elk Hair Caddis years ago, at least on the original Al Troth pattern. I have never--not once, not ever--had one land upright on the water. They either stand on their heads with the hook shank perpendicular to the water surface (how is that even possible?), or they flop over on their sides. I've tried everything that can be done to the wing, tried trimming the hackle flat across the bottom, tried a lot of swearing but to no avail.

I now tie two different variations. One is simply the EHC without the hackle. The other is the same body and wing, but I mount the wing two hook eye-widths behind the eye and use a collar hackle in that space instead of the full-body palmer hackle. Both work just fine, and I've never looked back. My lower-floating versions are better on placid Michigan streams anyway, as the original Troth pattern is designed for rougher water.