Fluttering Caddis Floats Hook-Eye Down

[Randyflycaster 0]

After reading Leonard Wright's book I decided to tie and try some small Fluttering

Caddis. I used coastal hair for the wings and midge hackle. The problem is, after I

twitch the fly it floats with the hook eye down and the wings pointing up. Is this the

way it's supposed to float, or is something wrong with my fly. The hackle appears to be the correct length.

 

Thanks,

 

Randy

[shoebop 0]

Randy

 

If you tied your fly correctly,then yes, it should float wing up and hook eye down (if you used a down-eye hook). NOW...

 

I'm going to slap your hand here a little Randy, but this is for every one else that reads this post as well.

 

Don't ask us "Did I tie my fly correctly and is it performing as it's supposed to." and then NOT POST A PICTURE OF YOUR FLY! How are we supposed to answer your question if we can't see it?

[Randyflycaster 0]

Shoebop,

 

Thanks. I still don't know how to take pictures of my flies, but I promise I will work on it.

 

Randy

[utyer 0]

When posting pictures of your flies, you need to get good close up, in focus images. Most cell phone cameras will not take good close up pictures. You will need a decent digital camera. Almost any point and shoot camera with a zoom lens will do.

 

FIRST locate the macro button (looks like a tulip,) on your camera, and press. Now you need to get in very close to the fly, and you should be able to still focus the image.

 

To take good images, you need to have plenty of light. Make a simple light box. I use a Clorox bottle that I cut out to provide a window. It is cut to slip over my tying lamp. You should have enough light on the fly to shoot at over 400 in macro mode.

 

Take (but don't post,) as large an image as you can.

 

After you take the image transfer to your computer for editing. I use Photoscape for editing. It can be downloaded from the Internet at no charge. You can use image editing software to adjust the contrast, and color balance of your images. Then crop the image so that the fly fills most of the image. AFTER you crop you image, then you can re-size the image to about 800 to 1024 on the long side. All these adjustments are easily made with Photoscape.

 

Once you have a good image, then just attach it directly from your computer to the post.

[FlaFly 0]

utyer

That's a good explanation. All newbies (like me) need to copy it and save it as a Word Document to their fly fishing folder (you do have a fly fishing folder, don't you?)

[SilverCreek 0]

I just posted this easy method of taking fly photos with a compact camera.

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=79338

[Randyflycaster 0]

Folks,

Thanks. I'm not sure, though, what you mean by making a simple light box.

Randy

[Piker20 0]

Check out the styrofoam cup thread. Basically, put your fly in a cup and expose outside of cup to light. Click away with camera.

[flytire 0]

Folks,

Thanks. I'm not sure, though, what you mean by making a simple light box.

Randy

You DONT NEED A LIGHTBOX to take photos of flies

 

GOOGLE "LIGHTBOX for photos" and search the images!

[rockworm 0]

After reading Leonard Wright's book I decided to tie and try some small Fluttering

Caddis. I used coastal hair for the wings and midge hackle. The problem is, after I

twitch the fly it floats with the hook eye down and the wings pointing up. Is this the

way it's supposed to float, or is something wrong with my fly. The hackle appears to be the correct length.

 

Thanks,

 

Randy

Randy- To get back to your original question... Even with a photo it might be difficult to identify your problem. Your best bet is to modify your pattern (or the way you tye it) one step at a time until you find a solution. The first thing I would do in your shoes is to make sure you have plenty of hackle pointing forward. I know you see hackle collars with all the fibers pointing to the rear. It looks beautiful. And it works well for wet flies. But you need some hackle points in front of the hook eye to prevent your dry flies going bottoms up. The easiest way to do this is to wind your collar rearward from just behind the eye with the "nice" side of the feather facing forward. Then wind the hackle forward through the first collar with the feather's "nice" side facing backward. This will ensure that 1) your collar will be full, and 2) that a lot of fibers should be pointing forward. A second approach might be to get a bit of weight in the rear of the fly. I suspect that's why some caddis patterns you see will have a tail when the natural doesn't. You could tye a short tail of deerhair. But maybe all you need to do is make your deerhair wing a bit longer.

 

You could prevent your fly from doing this by trimming the bottom of the collar. But that would likely interfere with it's ability to "flutter." Attack your problem one step at a time and let us know what works.

[Henrik Thomsen (DK) 0]

Just kicking in another comment, not sure if it's already been mentioned, if so, sorry for repeating.

 

When tying in everything prior to th hackle, you might end option having a conical pointy front area. When the hackle is turn here, the hackle fibers on the rear side (towards tail of fly) will be longer relative to the hook that the fibers near the head of the fly. This will eventually make the hackle fibers mimic the conical shape, and make the fly tilt. This is a standard error seen a lot.

The quick fix, is to cut a V in the hackle fibers on the underside of the hook.

The right fix, is to limit amount of thread used to tie in the stuff prior to turning the hackle, and to focus on a level platform to tie in the hackle on.

 

Henrik

[rockworm 0]

focus on a level platform to tie in the hackle on.

 

Henrik

Amen to that!

[Randyflycaster 0]

I went through Leonard Wright's book again, and I noticed that the wings on my fluttering caddis flies weren't long enough. Mine went to the back to the hook, more like a traditional caddis. On a fluttering caddis the

wings should be a gap length longer that the back of the hook.

 

p.s. I still have trouble winding midge hackle and not having it twist, so I can't control which side of the feather is facing forward.

 

Randy

[SilverCreek 0]

p.s. I still have trouble winding midge hackle and not having it twist, so I can't control which side of the feather is facing forward.

 

Randy

 

Get a hackle plier that prevents the hackle from twisting. It has a loop or oval that you put your finger in and so the hackle cannot twist as you wind it around the fly.

 

Most of the hackle pliers below have a loop on the end. After you clip the hackle in the end, put your index finger in the loop. As you rotate your finger around the fly to wind the hackle, allow the hackle plier to rotate around your finger.

 

The problem could also be with the hackle stem. Some stems are "warped" and will not wind without wanting to twist. This is one of the things you look for when you buy hackle. Bend the hackle on the skin and you will see if it wants to twist when you bend it.

 

[flytire 0]

i leave a short length of bare stem and wrap hackles by hand. that gives me the opportunity to manhandle the feather into a good position to wrap forward