My fly tying attempts

[PeachySteph 0]

So here are a few of the flies I've made so far, as well as some of the "frankenstein" flies I've made (using non-traditional materials)

I will continue to post any others I make in this thread.

 

[rockworm 0]

Welcome Steph! Your flies are immanently "buggy." (That's a good thing- they should catch fish.) And it looks like you have pretty good control of your materials. Perhaps you could improve the flies' proportions? (Of course- no one would dare criticize the cut of a Frankenfly!)

[coldfeet 0]

nae bad, may I suggest slightly smaller hackle. as for non traditional materials I've heard of belly button lint being used...

[mikechell 0]

Two common mistakes most newbies make ...

1) Tying in too much material. I, personally, don't have a problem with this. I fish for Sunfish and Bass, both of which like hairy, buggy food, so too much regularly works for me. YOU, on the other hand, seem to be doing pretty good. Although you do have a bit too much on that royal ... all those flies look like good first attempts

2) Crowding the eye. This one I do tend to do. I've had to stick a needle through the eye while some head cement dried, just to be sure I'd be able to get my mono through there when fishing it. YOU also seem to have this under control already.

 

Very nice thread control and good control of materials.

 

I don't know if you should continue posting flies here ... you could easily post them in the "fly tying bench" forum under the "(Month) flies from the vice" thread.

[Chuck McFarlane 0]

I don't have the opportunity to cast for trout much but I do a lot for bream and bass. Pattern #2, #4 and # 5 really caught my eye. I'm sure those will entice bream strikes. In fact, probably all of them would. I like #2 so much I'm going to give that one a tie. I don't have the experience to critique flies and I'm quite new to the passion as well. I tie mainly for impression and haven't mastered proportion yet. I think your tying is well on the way to becoming really good. Keep it up and thanks for sharing.

[PeachySteph 0]

thanks for the replies y'all. I'm surprised you think my flies don't belong in the "beginners" category (and flattered). I've only tied maybe 8 flies... ever.

I'll keep practicing though. It's hard when you have limited supply.. there should be a recipe generator where you enter the materials and it tells you the different flies you could make from them.

[PeachySteph 0]

quick question of opinion: we have a pet Pekin Duck, would their feathers work well for some flies? I also have pretty much unlimited access to goose feathers, and the occasional "wild" duck feathers. Also, our cats occasionally bring birds of varying species home. Would any of those materials work well? None of which are plucked directly from the bird, unless already deceased of course, but I can get them.

[PeachySteph 0]

today's failure...

 

I'm not even going to go into detail.. it's pretty obvious what all the mistakes are. I'll just try again later.

 

My biggest issue is the thread slipping down toward the hook eye when building the head or making wraps near the eye..

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

My first attempts, ....well, I wished I could say I don't have evidence... but I do. I am not going to photograph and show this but... let me assure you that your attempts are much nicer than mine.

 

Don't use songbirds... Federally protected... ok (you'll get into A LOT of trouble if you use them.. ok)? Not sure about ducks, you'd have to check your local and national laws about such - if they can be used or not.

 

Today's failure is tomorrow's learning curve. Just stick with it and time will advance you quicker than you think. your motivation and sense of enjoyment will propel you to keep tying.. so .. have fun with it.

[Chuck McFarlane 0]

today's failure...

 

I'm not even going to go into detail.. it's pretty obvious what all the mistakes are. I'll just try again later.

 

My biggest issue is the thread slipping down toward the hook eye when building the head or making wraps near the eye..

To prevent slipping you could use some prepared fly tying wax when tying in wings, collars and the like near the head. Simply swipe the tying thread before wrapping and your good to go. You can swipe the thread any time during the tying process. The wax is available in any well stocked shops just avoid the dubbing wax that's for a different application. Cobblers wax is another good option.

[PeachySteph 0]

Thanks for the info Belevue. Also, I agree that today's failure is tomorrow's learning curve.. that's how I was looking at it too. Just need to be less annoyed with myself before I try again.

 

 

Thank you, Chuck. I'll look into it... though I've NEVER seen any shops that keep fly tying materials around here :/ so I've been ordering online from amazon and such.

[tidewaterfly 0]

I'll agree with the others that your first attempts are better than mine were. From some tying instruction I've done in the past, women seem to pick up on proportions better than men. What you've tied is off as far as proportions, but as the others have said, that's not always a bad thing & the fish rarely care.

 

I've read some of your other posts too, and will address your question about using different materials & free styling. It's doubtful the materials you're tried have not been used at some point in the past by someone. There's very few "new" materials, and those that are new are primarily synthetics. I like tying with many different materials, particularly natural furs & hairs, but there are some I won't use. You do have to understand that some birds & animals, and their parts are protected by laws. If you find a feather on the ground, and are not sure of it's origin, be very careful about who you tell! Chances are, you would never get caught tying with such a feather if for your own use, but don't go blabbing about it either! That's usually how folks get themselves in trouble about using such protected items. I once found a dead owl & was very disappointed I couldn't use the feathers. I knew they're protected & won't take the chance. It's a shame but that's the way it is.

 

Just to relate a story, there was many years ago a news story about a kid who had been picking up various feathers off the ground, had a very cool collection of many feathers & some law enforcement folks found out what he was doing & they filed charges against the kid! Most of what he had was from protected birds. After much public outcry they dropped the charges, but it took a lot of negative feedback from the public before they did. They confiscated the feathers however. That's an extreme case, but it happens!

 

As far as "free styling", we all do it at some point. That's how new patterns are often developed. If you enjoy doing it & can test your creations on the fish, then continue!

 

However, tying established patterns from recipes will help you develop faster, because you then have a baseline to compare to. For example & since you're in Georgia, you may want to learn to tie Woolly Buggers. They're an established style that work well on many species, are not difficult to tie & can be tied to suit your own artistic & creative desires, but by tying them & comparing them to pictures of another tiers flies, you'll see first hand what features are best. Some folks like them with shorter or longer tails for example. Also, the style can be tied with many materials. There's actually a book about them. ("Woolly Wisdom", by Gary Soucie)

 

For the most part, none of what we do as tiers is hard & fast or set in stone. There's always leeway to be creative. Otherwise, we would all be tying the same stuff & that would get very boring!

 

One thing you need to work on with your proportions is understanding that there are better ways to tie certain types of flies. That last one you posted & the slipping issue, could likely be corrected by tying the rear tie down point a bit further forward on the straight portion of the hook shank. It appears as if you've tied it down the bend a bit.

It would also appear you're trying to use too much material, which is often a beginner mistake, and that too makes securing the materials more difficult. You may also be using a thread that is too heavy for that size fly. All of these may be contributing to the problem.

 

Keep tying & keep posting! Other than "illegal" materials, there's really nothing that can't be used & if you have access to many materials, might as well make the most of them. Posting additional examples of your flies for critique will allow you to advance your skill level a bit faster too. I didn't have that advantage when I started & for likely the first 10 years my development was very slow!

[rockworm 0]

Building the head is an art. You have to consider the head from the very first wrap of thread and every step thereafter. People will tell you to save room for the head and to not crowd the eye. (Good advice!) But when you get there- and everything else is tyed in- you don't want too much space to fill. The problem is often that the last material tyed in (often the wing) has created a drop-off. The easiest way to prevent this by tying the last material right to the eye. You want a level surface on which to build your head. If the material doesn't extend all the way to the eye you will have to fill in the area with thread and make a smooth ramp for the head.

[PeachySteph 0]

thanks tide. Another reason why I asked here before attempting to use some of those materials. good info, (I'm going to see if I can find information on specific birds/animals for the US and GA)

 

 

I've noticed the woolly worms I've made get a lot of attention around here, so I plan to make more of those. I will try the bugger tonight.

[PeachySteph 0]

Building the head is an art. You have to consider the head from the very first wrap of thread and every step thereafter. People will tell you to save room for the head and to not crowd the eye. (Good advice!) But when you get there- and everything else is tyed in- you don't want too much space to fill. The problem is often that the last material tyed in (often the wing) has created a drop-off. The easiest way to prevent this by tying the last material right to the eye. You want a level surface on which to build your head. If the material doesn't extend all the way to the eye you will have to fill in the area with thread and make a smooth ramp for the head.

Good advice, thank you!