flygirl08

I started tying just a month or two after I learned how to fly fish. Then my dad took me to an estate auction, and I bought a small kit that had REALLY limited materials for about 20 bucks. I never thought about it as a way of saving money. I knew when I started that I was going to over do it, as I did with all of my previous hobbies. (This, I hope, will be a more permanent hobby. Hopefully, I won't get tired of it as easily as my previous ones. Doubt it. ) Every time I start something, it becomes an obsession, and I buy materials because I like them and I like to see how big of a collection I can get. "Some day," I think, "i'll need this material..." (Ha!) As of now, I'm $400 into this hobby, but it doesn't bother me because I enjoy it. What's life, after all, if you have money and don't spend it on something you enjoy?

I usually use the hook of the same size method, as Jeff already said. I have also used a piece of peacock herl, though.

Me again...I have heard about people dying their own materials, but never knew how. I've seen dye sold specifically for tying materials, but they're all so expensive. I've decided to always buy the basic or 'natural' color of materials, unless I specifically WANT another color, just in case I can learn to dye them later. What I'm wondering is, is there a cheap way of dying materials, and if so, HOW? -FG08

Thanks! I'll look into making some of those... (I'll have to buy some more materials first, of course.:

I bought some peacock head feathers off of ebay. They're about a 1/4in. circular fan shapes that are black with a blue/green tips. I was wondering if anybody had any ideas about patterns to use them in, because I'm not feeling all that creative today... Any ideas are appreciated.

How do you tell if you have a pair of not? There are geese all around here, and I have collected dozens of their feathers, but I can't tell if they are pairs or not.

I like the Loctite, too. I taught one of my friends to tie though, and let her use my new bottle, and she literally glued her fingers together... I have to get another new bottle now.

The Summer 2007 issue of Fly Tyer has a "Turbo Dubbing Twister" made of a piece of 2 by 4 and a roller blade bearing. It looks pretty easy to make, if you have wood-working tools.

Thanks, you guys. I actually sat down yesterday and practiced, and I managed to tie a decent pair of goose quill wings. Apparently, I learned something from you guys. I keep the geese feathers in a zip-loc bag. Hopefully that's protecting my other materials enough. I haven't subscribed to Hatches yet. It's on my to-do list. So far, I only subscribe to Fly Tyer. I like it, but I wish it came out more than 4 times a year. :|

Thanks, you guys. I actually sat down yesterday and practiced, and I managed to tie a decent pair of goose quill wings. Apparently, I learned something from you guys. I keep the geese feathers in a zip-loc bag. Hopefully that's protecting my other materials enough. I haven't subscribed to Hatches yet. It's on my to-do list. So far, I only subscribe to Fly Tyer. I like it, but I wish it came out more than 4 times a year. :|

Deeky, I'm not trying to marry two different feathers together, that was just something else I was curious about. I have mostly been using mallard duck quill segments or turkey tail to form upright wings, amost like the wings in your avatar. My wings usually just end up splitting, but as roycestearns mentioned, I could be wrapping back past my first wrap. Maybe mallard quills aren't durable enough...yesterday, I walked around our lake and collected canadian goose feathers that I figured, since they're free, would be good to practice with, but since you said certain feathers aren't as durable as others, I"m starting to wonder if practicing with them would only frustrate me more... Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.

I looked that link over, and it looks helpful...I'll have to try it tomorrow. Thanks!

I've only been tying for about a year now, but I can't figure out quill segment wings. I use The Art of Fly Tying as a quide, and have tried a few other things, but I can't seem to get the wings to stay together. They always seperate into little slivers of feather. I hear the term "marrying feathers" often in the fly-tying world, and I was wondering if this has something to do with it. Either way, I can't figure out how to keep the feathers together to form wings, either upright or tent-style. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, flygirl08

I'm really sorry to hear about that, Iowaflyguy. I've (fortunately) never suffered any great loss from a tornadoe, but they come pretty close every year. There was one year that a tree landed on our roof, and from then on, I get a bit freaked out when there's a windy storm. It just makes you realize how helpless you really are when it comes to nature. You can't stop it, and that terrifies me. Best wishes and God Bless, flygirl08

I was going to post some pictures of my flies on here, by request, but I'm still learning the site, and I can't figure it out. Can you explain how to make a picture post, please? If not, that's okay. I'll figure it out eventually.

letumgo, peacock hearl is genius! I always just stick a needle in the eye. I'll have to try it your way!

Wow. That's all I have to say. WOW.

hahaha I always joke with my mom that I'm going to cut her cat's fur, and with my brother that I'm going to cut his beagle's fur. My brother traps and skins in the late fall, and he has a nice muskrat skin in his room. When he goes to college he always tells me he'd hurt me if he came home and some fur was missing. Apparently he can read my mind. Not really about a pet, but I still think it's funny.

Camoham, I've heard of using clear nail polish as head cement, I've just never gotten around to trying it. What part of Indiana are you from?

Thanks to all who replied! A lot of people think it's weird for me to fish, being a girl, but I jsut look at them like they're crazy when they say something. My dad has bought me a couple books, one of them being The Art of Fly Tying, and I've found them to be very helpful. I will probably ask for another one for my birthday. I will happily post some of my flies shortly! I made some for my neighbor's birthday as a thank you for teaching me to fish, and she swears up and down that they're good, but, being that she's close to family, she could have been exaggerating. She put them on display in her china cabinet. Too funny! I've been looking for substitutes for expensive materials as well, and I have found a few. I use regular superglue for head cement, $0.33 craft foam from walmart, and my old collection of embroidery floss for some of the floss body colors that I don't have. Sometimes when I need a "dyed" feather, I use the natural color and color it with permanent marker. I'm not sure if the marker will actually last long, but I can't afford to buy every color of feather available. Thanks again to the warm welcome!

Can anybody suggest a material to use that would make realistic-looking dragonfly wings? Thanks!

Hello! I am 17 years old from southern Indiana, and have been fishing for years. Last summer, my neighbor taught me to fly fish, and I've been hooked ever since. A few months later, I was at an auction, and my dad helped me win a small tying kit for 20 bucks. There weren't a lot of materials inside, and I fiddled with them constantly for the next few days, making smoe poorly-tied flies. I looked online to learn the proper ways to tie, and saw the huge world of fly tying. I hadn't realized it was as complex as it is. I took a few trips to Gander Mountain and to Sportmans Wearhouse and bought new supplies. What an expensive hobby! That doesn't really matter, though; I'd tie if I only had 20 bucks a week. Anyway, I've been fly fishing and tying since. I'm still very much an amature, so I joined this forum in the hopes of gaining some hints. May the holes in your nets be smaller than the fish you catch! --flygirl08

AMAZING! The second bird, the one with a green head, is a male Pintail. Keep up the good work!

The second bird, with the green head, is a male Pintail. Your pictures amaze me! Keep up the good work!