Where to begin

[snow_bound26 0]

3 hours ago, Bimini15 said:

Not sure which one of Brammer’s videos you are referring to, but the ones I suggested (and wrongly named) are the “tie like a pro” series. 

Brammer is taking fly weight and size to an extreme in recent videos, following after Sedotti’s school of thought that a huge, heavily weighted fly will cast a looong ways by creating its own momentum to counter wind resistance. To me, my spinning rods do a better job at throwing weighted lures a long distance, so that is a fly tying concept that does not interest me at this point.

 

I have watched a few from that series. My thought wasn't so much about using weight to overcome wind resistance, but more to get an evenly balanced pattern while it's sinking. I'm not a huge fan of jig type presentation so my thought was spreading out the weight so that it sinks more level and has the same/similar control while stripping as unweighted. 
 

I do understand the concept of using weight to overcome wind resistance in theory, but adding the proper amount of weight to benefit from it is still going to require a higher line weight. Otherwise, it's still going to cast like crap because the rod is beyond its efficiency range. One of the things I want to learn with tying is how to create the illusion of size. I read a few things years ago where Larry Dahlberg talked about using the proper materials in the right way and create that effect without making the fly too large and wind resistant. It's one of the reasons I started fishing with his version of a deer hair diver. 

[Bimini15 0]

You are on the right track then. There are many other guys tying great big predator, bulky, articulated flies on YouTube as well (Monaghan, Andersen, Bauer,...) but Brammer explains everything in detail.

[utyer 0]

Gunnar's site is a great resource for tying big files for predator species of all kinds.  Start with his Beginner Predator Series.  Then move on into the more complex extended body and weight distribution techniques.  He has a LOT of videos and the Beginner series will get you into the basics.  Learn the basic techniques first. 

I see you spend winters in UT, and from the username, I assume you are a ski bum.  Where do you hang out and what kind of skiing do you do.  I have a friend that does a lot of Backcountry skiing.  I spend my time in Utah in the Spring, and then only long enough to pickup my buddy and head to Idaho for the fishing.