eplea 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 New to tying, bit of a dilemma. Not keen to spend heaps only to find out I'm not interested so am having a bit of a play with materials I have on hand. Wanted to try an Adams, but with limited choice, it's more a variation on a theme. Materials aside, how's it look? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 nice tie just watch your proportions you may have gone too far down the bend and that may be why the tail is pointing downward Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 Is that a 'first fly' eplea?!?!! flytire has the picture for the proportions already posted - keep tying - wow even if that is one from your first dozen you've ever tied - it's pretty amazing. Just keep tying and keep striving to make them like the picture. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chuck McFarlane 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 That's an awesome first! I wish I had a pic of my first dry. I can assure you it wasn't anywhere near as good as your fly. Good going and keep at it. Accurate to color or not, I'm sure you will catch with that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eplea 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 Flytier, thanks. I have a collection of those proportion images. Studied it and referenced it before attempting 'my' Adams. Bellevue, yes. This is the first 'Adams' to leave my vice. Not surprisingly, to me, it's the best of 1/2 dozen tied. Not surprising as it was tied immediately after work in natural light. Dinner, shower, etc meant the remaining 5 were tied under not so great artificial light. This one is on a Size 10, the remaining were tied on 14's. I'll have another crack on a size 10 after work. The aformentioned lack of materials made tying the 14's a nightmare (I'm using old indian capes and a very picked over Metz grizzly cape for feathers). Chuck, thanks. Pretty happy with it. Need to work on proportions though. Colour doesn't bother me at all. As a keen ultralight soft plastic fisherman I've seen MANY colours catch fish and am a firm believer that general appearance and presentation are more important. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eplea 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 Excuse the photo. I'm at work (don't ask why I have flies at work, we all have addictions..mine isn't work..lol). This was the second attempt. I couldn't find grizzly tips I liked so used some off an Indian cree cape I have. Proportions proportions proportions. Need to work on my proportions. This is on a size 14. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fbhenry 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 Nice work eplea! I'm working on my Adams too. Your taper on the body looks cleaner than what I have been able to achieve. Did you use muskrat or synthetic? Cheers, Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eplea 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 Thanks Fred. I used beaver for the body. It's the only dubbing I have in a suitable colour. I try to use small dubbing noodles and just build them up. Might take a little longer but flies are for me and maybe friends, so speed/efficiency is none too important at the moment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fbhenry 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 I might have to work harder at plucking out all the guard hairs in the muskrat! My Adams body gets too nymphy. Cheers, Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazy4oldcars 0 Report post Posted October 7, 2015 Eplea, A thin dubbing noodle and building the body up is the way to do it. There is more thread in the body to help hold the dubbing in place. For the second fly, I'm down to picking nits to offer points of improvements. Make a point to keep the tail either on top of the hook, or enshrouding the hook. My other nit is the head. When you start your thread on the hook, start it where you want the body/thorax/wing/wingcase (depending on the fly type) to end. The remaining space is for the head. You might also try a smaller thread. There is nothing on this thread that really needs cranking down on, unlike deerhair or squirrel. For general purposes, never use 3 turns of thread when 2 will do and you can get by with 1. I tie all of my flies off with two three-turn whip finishes. All in all, it's a good representation of the fly, colors be-damned. Kirk B. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eplea 0 Report post Posted October 7, 2015 Thanks for taking the time to look and to offer advice Kirk. Is the thread wraps something that should naturally fix itself as I gain experience? I use two 3 turn whip finishes as well. Just made my seventh attempt. Made a more conscious effort to maintain proportions but I think I may need to invest a bit more time to practice and perhaps a little to better quality materials. I'm finding the taper on the relatively short hackles I'm trying to use making it difficult to get 2 wraps in front and behind the wing. They may not win any Best of Show awards, but with a few well placed casts they should catch a fish or two. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Saarinen 0 Report post Posted October 7, 2015 I know where that coin is from! Nice fly too! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazy4oldcars 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2015 I'm afraid the thread wraps are something that requires a conscious effort and practice to get used to. You want to build the habit into muscle memory. Given that you aren't pleased with the materials in the hackle and the wings, I will only comment to say that I am impressed with what you have done. Love the body taper and the the tail and the head on this one. You still managed to crowd the eye a bit, but you can still get a piece of tippet in there, so I won't deduct points. This time. This is a very nice looking fly. I would wait until you get materials you are happy with before you try to take it further. No sense in building bad muscle habits. Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gene L 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2015 An impressive fly. For my tastes, the hackle is perhaps a half-size or a size too long. Still, better than I can tie! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites