Your Ugliest Fly

[troutmaster08 0]

We all have to start somewhere so show where you started. I'll find some pictures but my very first flies were very simple and didn't look terrible but as I began to experiment I made some pretty terrible patterns. i'll find some pictures but my first attempt at a parachute adams had a deer hair post and saddle hackle for the wings. I was well behind most people as a beginner but began to pull ahead. Fly tying is no different than anything else so don't give up and keep tying.

[onebadmofo 0]

One of my first flies looked like a dog crapped on it and then it rolled in the weeds. First time I fished that fly I caught a 26 inch-6.6 pound Rainbow on it. All this on a fly rod I paid about 45 bucks for total (rod, reel, backing and line. Wish I still had that fly.

[Philly 0]

I'm sure I have some flies that I tied in the beginning of my tying career but I'm too lazy to look for them.  Not sure when I began taking pictures of flies  probably not till  2003 or 2004.   I did find some on a friend's web site.  I sent him some flies in 2002 and he took the pictures and put them up.  He hasn't updated the site since 2014, at least that's what it says.   The trout flies aren't that bad but the bait fish patterns are awful.  I should e-mail him and have him take those down.  Here's one of the bait fish patterns, titled "Generic Minnow" probably tied in 1999 or 2000.   And a picture of a generic minnow pattern I tied in the last couple of years.  There is hope.

 

 

 

[mikechell 0]

I don't believe I've ever taken a picture of a badly tied fly.  Seems rather ... stupid? ... to keep a record of my failures.  I don't even take pictures of all the flies I tie, since I only tie a few patterns that work for me, I'd just be picturing the same flies ... different tying dates.

Just like now, when I do fishing videos, I never leave bits in where I cast and get nothing ... not even once.  I might show a hit and miss, but never a cast and retrieve without SOME action on the fly.  Like just about everybody ... MOST of my cast don't result in a fish.  I don't need to remember every cast.

I definitely don't need to remember attempts at fly tying that turned out "ugly".

That said ... I do fish these, and there's nothing "pretty" about them.

[flytire 0]

after a poorly executed cast by a very inexperienced fly fisherman, my first fly resides in the upper branches of a tree along the south platte river near deckers colorado.

i often wonder if its still there or did it wither and rust away with time

i'm not going back any time soon to find out.

[mikechell 0]

1 hour ago, flytire said:

my first fly resides in the upper branches of a tree

Hmmm ... upper branches ... when you were young.  So, those branches are now about a hundred feet higher than they were then.  OR, the tree has long since passed on.

I'm guessing the latter.

😉😄

[Poopdeck 0]

All of mine are ugly by someone's standard. 

[utyer 0]

I know exactly what flies I started with, since my mentor gave me a list.  Of course I don't have any of those flies now.  About 10 years ago in cleaning up my fly tying boxes, I did run across a few flies from about that same time:  These would have been tied between 1965, and 68.  We all started with something, and hopefully improve quickly.  After finding these and taking these pictures, I stripped and reused the hooks.  

 

[denduke 0]

Can’t find the worse... Tied one with my own hair.  Didn’t realize how coarse hair is; at least mine.  No pic and think maybe cut it to save the hook.  So next one maybe is the PurpleTerminatorCrab.   Guys that fish the marsh down her believe in it for giant black drum and red fish.  I slung  it at 6 sea monsters tailing by the marina rocks. Never got a take.  They were keying on fish scraps from the charter boats I figure.  Anyway, ugly son of a gun.