Oh boy...

[portlyjoe 0]

you might want to try a GPS ( Gel Spun) thread, I've seen it at 30,70,100,and 200 den. its very strong and lays very flat. It is a bit more expensve than nylon.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

you might want to try a GPS ( Gel Spun) thread, I've seen it at 30,70,100,and 200 den. its very strong and lays very flat. It is a bit more expensve than nylon.

Wouldn't GSP give him a lot of extra, unneeded bulk on a sz 18!?!?!?

[portlyjoe 0]

 

you might want to try a GPS ( Gel Spun) thread, I've seen it at 30,70,100,and 200 den. its very strong and lays very flat. It is a bit more expensve than nylon.

Wouldn't GSP give him a lot of extra, unneeded bulk on a sz 18!?!?!?

 

No, in my own usage if find; GPS lays flat, very flat, and the strenght is abnormal for the denier. what ever you wrap, you will use half the amount of gps as compared to nylon, because you need less wraps.

the two draw backs are it only comes in black and white, and it is more expensive than nylon. I color my GPS with sharpies and it holds the color extremely well. it's worth the money to me anyway.

[Stevegud1 0]

 

Well, i tied up some #14 Hendricksons. Other than I am a bad photographer, I see two thing I need to improve:

1. I let the tail move to the side of the hook.

2. I didn't trim enough fibers from the hackle when I tied it in, so I got fibers pushing rearward.

 

Any other things I should fix?

 

Thanks.

[kennebec12 0]

The tail might be a smidgen long but its close. The wings could move back an eye length. And the hackle could be shorter fibers more tightly wrapped, maybe starting a little bit closer to the eye but it's hard to tell, could be camera angle. The tighter shorter hackle will help it float better and sit upright. Proportional things only really matter when the trout are being selective, but its good to get them down, which will come with time and repetition. I think generally the tail is hackle fibers not flank, but that shouldn't be of too much concern. Keep at it and lets see the progression.

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

Did the tail rotate when you attach it to the hook shank? Try to practice 'the pinch' to see if that helps not allow materials to rotate on you when applying to the hook. An/or you could try attaching the material 'on this side ' of the hook and try to manage the rotation of the materials as they rotate - it's probably better though to try to develop the proper technique with not allowing the materials to rotate with using the proper 'pinch' method. Google 'pinch' or 'pinch loop' application of materials fly tying.

 

And listen to the rest of Ken's suggestions too! I wish my first Catskill dry fly looked that good!

 

BCT

[Stevegud1 0]

The tail might be a smidgen long but its close. The wings could move back an eye length. And the hackle could be shorter fibers more tightly wrapped, maybe starting a little bit closer to the eye but it's hard to tell, could be camera angle. The tighter shorter hackle will help it float better and sit upright. Proportional things only really matter when the trout are being selective, but its good to get them down, which will come with time and repetition. I think generally the tail is hackle fibers not flank, but that shouldn't be of too much concern. Keep at it and lets see the progression.

Thanks for the suggestions. by "more tightly wrapped" hackle, do you mean more wraps, making the hackle more dense?

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

Once you've made the first wrap of hackle, your second time around the hook shank, the second wrap is touching the first wrap - not overlapping but just abutting it and then the 3rd, 4th, etc, wrap does the same.

 

Tight as in up and down the hook shank - not tighter TO the hook shank - go too far(as in tight to the hook shank) and either the hackle will slip out of fingers/hackle pliers/or BREAK!

 

BCT

[Stevegud1 0]

Once you've made the first wrap of hackle, your second time around the hook shank, the second wrap is touching the first wrap - not overlapping but just abutting it and then the 3rd, 4th, etc, wrap does the same.

 

Tight as in up and down the hook shank - not tighter TO the hook shank - go too far(as in tight to the hook shank) and either the hackle will slip out of fingers/hackle pliers/or BREAK!

 

BCT

Got it, thanks. I can honestly say that I was wrapping hackle by counting turns, not by ensuring that the quill is touching itself for each wrap, so that should help!

[Hatchet Jack 0]

I've had good luck using the Pinch Wrap trick, where the first pinch is just shy of snug.

Then the successive wraps are more snug. One can always torque the tail back into position too

with a firm pinch and twist.

 

Also, somewhere in the forum here is Crackaig's link to a tutorial on prepping the hackle stems.

Good advice.

 

NO one is going to get their first dry fly tied to perfection, so it's practice, practice, practice.

Let the hook proportions be your guide.

 

Your fly ain't too shabby, best thing to do is sit down and tie 12.

Each one you tie will be better than the last and you'll learn/teach

yourself as you tie, because everything is 'fresh' in your mind.

 

[kennebec12 0]

BCT got it, the wraps of hackle should touch. Personally I do put a couple more turns of hackle on, but that's because it suits the waters I fish which are fast flowing and I need that extra flotation or I'll spend more time drying and changing flies than fishing (which consequently is why I fish nymphs more frequently). And with the wings further back you can put a couple wraps of hackle before and after the wings. And I agree with Hatchet Jack about sitting down and tying up a few of the same pattern, it really helps key in on the smaller details. I never realized how different my flies were coming out until I tied many of the same fly one after the other. Then I was able to start tying more and more consistently better flies because I worked out the details and the proportions, though I'm definitely not perfect.