First Attempt at Tying a Fly......Be Easy

[SilverCreek 0]

On 12/18/2020 at 6:33 AM, feathers5 said:

Fiveonomo: If you want to be real technical you can tie PTs or any suggestive pattern in proportions that match the nymphs you're trying to imitate. For example, clinger nymphs are a little fatter at the thorax to allow them to hold onto rocks, etc.,  and swimmers are lean to help them move through the water. Your PTs might suggest the swimmers.  I would say most people tie them and don't pay much attention to those things. Let the fish be the judge. Even if you feel your fly is ugly it will catch fish. Present it in the right manner; at the right time; and in the right place; they will eat it no matter what food you are trying to suggest. Trout won't refuse well-placed food just because it's not what's hatching at the present time.

As Fiveonomo stated, the long version of your PT matches a swimming nymph.

Mayfly nymphs which is what PTs match are of 3 types. Clingers, crawlers, and swimmers.

Here's what is important about the types of nymphs. They are NOT found everywhere in a river. They have preferred habitats or what we call micro environments. Clingers are fast water nymphs found mostly in rapids and fast riffles. Crawlers are found mostly in riffles and swimmers are found mostly in slow water.

While it is true that trout are opportunistic feeders and a swimming pattern fished in a clinger environment can catch fish, what we want to use is the best fly in the location. Just because the wrong nymph can catch a fish, does not mean it is the best pattern! A clinger pattern presented in a clinger environment will do much better most of the time.

Depending on the degree of selective feeding, the right pattern can do much better.

There are those who will say that a wrong fly presented well will out fish the right fly presented poorly. That assertion contains a false premise since presentation is a skill which is attached to a given fly fisher. So the false premise is to compare a poor fly fisher with a good fly fisher in the comparison. The fly that matches the food form in the location will equal or outfish the fly does not match the food form most of the time even when the fish are feeding opportunistically.

 

  

[fiveonomo 0]

@Fatman, @WWKimbathanks a bunch for your replies.  I tend to be hard on myself and I have to remember I am just starting out.  Kim does the FAOL site still exist? 

[fiveonomo 0]

@SilverCreekInteresting, thanks.  I appreciate your input and taking the time to explain those things.  Man this fly fishing onion is huge, the layers just keep peeling back. 

[redietz 0]

4 hours ago, SilverCreek said:

Mayfly nymphs which is what PTs match are of 3 types. Clingers, crawlers, and swimmers.

And burrowers.

[SilverCreek 0]

2 hours ago, redietz said:

And burrowers.

I did forget those. Thanks for catching that.

In my area, the burrowers are Hexegenia Limbata which are also swimmers.

[redietz 0]

10 minutes ago, SilverCreek said:

I did forget those. Thanks for catching that.

In my area, the burrowers are Hexegenia Limbata which are also swimmers.

Ultimately, they all swim to the surface.  The White Fly (Ephoron leukon) is strictly a burrower until that time.  I'm not sure about Eastern Green Drake, but I don't see many nymph imitations.

[WWKimba 0]

On 12/24/2020 at 3:43 PM, fiveonomo said:

@Fatman, @WWKimbathanks a bunch for your replies.  I tend to be hard on myself and I have to remember I am just starting out.  Kim does the FAOL site still exist? 

FAOL's FORUM is still active but the site itself no longer has it's writers/contributors many that added material to the site on up to a weekly basis.  Luckily, all this material is still available on the site as a nice reference.

Kim

BTW, I BELIEVE that you can still sign-up to be a member of the site - the reason I'm not sure is that there are a couple posts in the first catagory of the Forum from their IT guy retiring/leaving the site.  One can only try!

[fiveonomo 0]

On 12/25/2020 at 9:08 PM, WWKimba said:

FAOL's FORUM is still active but the site itself no longer has it's writers/contributors many that added material to the site on up to a weekly basis.  Luckily, all this material is still available on the site as a nice reference.

Kim

BTW, I BELIEVE that you can still sign-up to be a member of the site - the reason I'm not sure is that there are a couple posts in the first catagory of the Forum from their IT guy retiring/leaving the site.  One can only try!

Thanks @WWKimbait looks like this will still be a great resource.

[fiveonomo 0]

Maybe getting a little better.  I tied some San Juan Worms as well, but that was really easy so no pics of those.  

[Fatman 0]

Still a member but haven't been in a while.

 

[Creekwalker23 0]

Man I wish my first flies looked that good 

[SilverCreek 0]

On 12/27/2020 at 3:53 PM, fiveonomo said:

Maybe getting a little better.  I tied some San Juan Worms as well, but that was really easy so no pics of those.  

Much Better but not perfect yet.

Try for a thinner body with a smaller bead. It looks like you cut material off the the legs to shorten them. They will look more natural if you did not cut them.

There is a method for getting naturally tapered legs the exact length you want. Use this method taken from the late Harry Mason's ting instructions for the Copper John. The complete instructions are here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130222022739/http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/cjohn/index.shtml

 

Below are his instructions for tying on legs. He uses a partridge feather but you can substitute any soft hackle feather with the right properties for legs.

Here is a Partridge feather. Find one with nice even tips.

 

Clip the center stem out about one and a half times the length of the thorax. The cut looks "ratty" but hey, it's going to get covered.

 

Place the feather atop the thorax as shown. The thread is at the base of the bead.

 

Pinch the feather atop the thorax. We want the thread to maintain the pinch position, so, two loose wraps and then a third tight one will hold the feather in place.

 

"Legs" tied in. Fold the waste end of the feather back, place one wrap to hold it back and trim.

 

With the thread still in the gap between the thorax and bead fold the Thinskin over the legs and thorax.

 

The Thinskin tied in. Again, fold the unwanted Thinskin backwards and trim.

Below is how the legs should look on the completed fly