longshot

I tied this tonight using: Hook: Daiichi size 10 Thread: 6/0 red Body: Ultra Chenille St. Fl. Chartreuse I'm using the left-handed version Renzetti traveller. In class we used non-rotary. This vise is great. The head is exceedingly large and bulky and the proportions are way off. I attempted one before this and it unraveled so I thought if I wrapped it up it might not fall apart. Oh well. Any suggestions on how many times I should wrap to build up the head? I'm not sure if I secured the tail all that well. I read an online set of instructions and watched a video. Do I need to strip the chenille down to its core before attaching it to the hook? I tried it both ways and the second go 'round my fly was significantly less lumpy. Magnification sure does reveal a lot... Any help/ideas would be appreciated, LS

Thanks for the comments and advice everyone. I'll give it another few tries this week. I just need to pick up some extra supplies first . LS

Here is my first attempt at a dry fly. It's a Griffith's gnat. Not so pretty I guess... Lots of stragglers and the hackle seems to be "leaning forward" & maybe way too sparse. I look forward to practicing again so I can get a better handle on some of the basics.