DON'T laugh...My first ever attempt at fly tying....

[add147 0]

This is my first attempt at tying a fly so don't laugh! How did I decide to even attempt to get off into this hobby? Well to be honest I am getting tired of watching CRAP on TV. My wife loves all those mystery killing shows and I am getting tired of watching that stuff. How many ways can someone kill somebody! LOL

 

Anyway I have been slowly purchasing stuff to begin my undertaking on fly tying. My first purchase was my HMH Spartan Vise. I am very pleased with it so far but what do I know I have only tied one fly on it! It seems to do the job and it holds the hook pretty darn good. I live in East Texas so I do not have salmon or trout that is close to me. I do not have a high dollar fly rod and reel. I bought a cheap comb Pflugger (spelling) at Academy Sports for $30.00. It seems to get the job done. I am only fishing for pan fish such as Bream and Blue Gills, Crappie, and Bass. I hope to start making some poppers to fish for some bass in the near future.

 

Anyway this is my Pattern: I used a #6 2X long hook, Black UTC 210 Waxed Flat Thread, Sliver Tinsel, White Marabou (cheap crap from EBay), Black Hackle (another cheap crap from EBay) and some .025 lead thread. I will say the tying thread does not like rough fingers...I guess I am going to have to start using lotion which I hate. I was not aware that the thread was made up of different strands. I figured it was just one thread but hey what do I know. You are probably think where did this dumb *ss come from! I know I am not a professional nor do I claim to be. I am just having fun with a new hobby that I find very interesting! I hope to get my 14 old son involved in so he can enjoy it.

 

So here is my VERY FIRST attempt at fly tying. I was going for a Wooly Bugger I do not have a name for it, Who knows I might have copied someone elses creation. If I did I did not mean too! It amazes me that someone in East Texas can find out some much from the internet on fly tying. Technology is great except for the NAS (National Security Agency) listening in on everyone...LOL...Ops I hope they did not see that!!!

 

So laugh all you want to at my first attempt cause I sure am...I never ever thought I would find myself doing this. All I am doing is just having fun with a hobby. Nothing more and nothing less! Feel free to slam me because I will not lose any sleep over it...LOL...

[mnorton 0]

pretty good for first time..we all had to start at the beginning...good job

[BassMouth87 0]

Not a bad first fly my friend, I can guarantee that the bluegill, crappie and bass will love it. I have a few pictures of the first few flies I ever tied...they shall never see the light of day lol, perhaps if they looked even remotely close to your first crack I would post them...however they do not.

[add147 0]

Well if no one has made this pattern before I think I will call it the Sulphur River Wooly Bugger!!!!

 

Don't be shy you fellow tiers...Get on your soap box and tell me your honest opinion. How can one learn if his peers do not chime in!!!! LOL

[BassMouth87 0]

It is a variation on a wooly bugger, for which there are thousands, but at the end of the day you can call it whatever you want.

 

My advice? Keep on tying, watch some videos and keep practicing, here is a video that goes into great detail tying the wooly bugger:

 

 

As you learn different patterns you will start to pick up different techniques and tricks on how to use different materials.

 

The hook eye is great, not crowded at all, common mistake for those getting into tying, looks like your off to a great start in that regard. The hackle looks a bit big for the pattern, and the tail is a bit long, but these are all things that everyone has their own personal preference on. Keep tying my friend, and fish what you do tye along the way!

[mikechell 0]

The fly ... very well done. You'll get some hits, but the bluegill and other panfish will be short striking that long tail. For bream, tie in a shorter tail to get a better chance at a hook in the fish's mouth.

For a rod, I recommend a trip to Bass Pro Shop. I've got one of those Academy Sports rods, and you're right in that they "do the job". But, they are heavy for the size. A White River Dogwood Canyon rod is about half the weight for the same line size. A Cricket is about 1/4 less weight.

[Guest rich mc]

welcome to tying. that fly will catch fish and or a tree just as well as a purchased fly. one thing I noticed is the hackle is wider toward the bend. I would start with the tip of the feather first and have the wider section toward the eye. keep on tying rich mc

[petelangevin 0]

We all start somewhere. Relax and enjoy it. And i agree anything beats the mrs murder mystery shows. I have to deal with the mrs watching greys anatomy ugggghh. I start tying or watching youtube videos when she turns on her shows.

 

Have fun with it, you made a great purchase with the hmh vise, should last you forever. And no question is a dumb one here, there is more people to help than anywhere else you could be. Welcome!

[MiFlyMan 0]

Nice Job..looks better than my first attempt. That said,if a fly catches the fish your shooting for, SUCCESS!! My first was an ugly hack job, but a brookie took it on second cast(followed by 4 more on that same fly), pretty or ugly if it catches fish, who cares? Obviously not the fish. Keep on tying, there are few better feelings than taking fish with your own creation.

 

[ditz2 0]

Your fly will work just fine. This stuff is not rocket science. That 210 thread is quite heavy. You will find that some 140 will work better for you except on large flies or doing deer hair bugs for bass. Spring is the time to start probing the surface. Get you some 2mm craft foam and any of the craft stores in your area. It comes in many colors and is easy to use, both at the vise and on the water. Yellow is a great place to start IMO. Find yourself an old round bungi chord and cut one of the end hooks off. You will find it full of rubber legs for your bugs . Now you can do a google search for foam flies and you will have many, many hours of vise time ahead of you for almost no $$$. And the fish love them. For pan fish I use 8 thru 14 hooks but a size 10 is a good all round size. A 10 yellow floating spider with 4 rubber legs will catch you many sunfish. A dozen will last you all summer. Being a beginner you will probably loose a lot of flies to trees. As you gain experience you will loose fewer and a dozen will last you a couple of seasons. If you can find some Aberdeen siz10 hooks all the better. If you use a 6# tippet you will be able to straighten the hook if you get it snagged and get the fly back, re-bend the hook and keep on fishing. Have fun with it.

[add147 0]

ditz2,

Thank you for your advice and words of encouragement. I have watched several videos on You Tube of folks making top water stuff with foam. There is a fellow down around College Station that seems to make some pretty neat and simple stuff using foam. I will have to stop at the Hobby Lobby store after work one day and raid their art foam section. I already have some rubber legs on the way from EBay wish I had already read your post before I placed my order because you are 100 percent correct on the bungi cord and I think I have some old ones laying around in the shop some where. I knew that the bungi cords that are covered with the cloth on the outside is made from several rubber bands on the inside.

 

I have seen several folks use wine corks to make poppers. I found a bag of 100 for 5 bucks on EBay and they are just waiting on me to drag them out and begin. As I said I am not a professional I am just having fun making stuff to give me something to do. I am really amazed on how much stuff there is out the on the internet pertaining to fly fishing.

[add147 0]

mikechell,

I will have to make a trip into Dallas sometime and take a look at that setup. Thanks for the heads up!!!

[add147 0]

BassMouth87

Thanks for the video link! Makes it look like a easy build. I'll give it a try with a bead as soon as mine come in that I purchased.

[Kudu 0]

Y

[Crackaig 0]

We have very different fish here, nothing like what you are targeting, so I can't comment on that, though I've no doubt that what others have said is right. You are doing the main thing and having fun, keep it up. You'll come across lots of things as you progress that cause problems. You'll find lots of help to get over those things here.

 

You may get away without using lotion on your hands. Rather than lotion try using a pumice stone, You are not looking for soft hands as much as smooth skin. If you do the dishes then a bit of work with a pumice stone each day you'll soon get your hands in good order. Coming from a heavy mechanical engineering background my hands were in a very bad state when I started tying. It took me a couple of months with both lotion and pumice stone to get them right. Now its just maintenance, and doesn't take more than a good wash and the odd bit of work with a stone.

 

Great start, welcome to the community.

 

Cheers,

C.