Moosie

I'm by no means an expert, but I've been tying for a few years. What I would say, in regards to the Redtag and the March Brown, is to try to taper your body a little more, first of all. Maybe a finer dubbing or a dubbing loop to tighten it up a little or less hurl over a tapered thread body. Also, one or two less turns of hackle to keep it more sparse. All that said, for a new tyer, they look pretty good and I'm sure they'd catch fish. Keep it up! Any of you experts out there, feel free to critique my critique. Byt the way, what is the Redtag meant to imitate, if anything?

For the most part, they look pretty darn good. I don't tie many trude-type flies, so I can't say much about the first one. Maybe a little bit longer wing, but I could be wrong. The main thing I noticed was that on the pheasant tail, it looks like the tail and leg fibers have been clipped. I would use the tips, uncut, for a more natural, tapered look. I don't know if it would make much difference to a fish, but I think it might give them a little more movement in the water.

I usually put a couple or three turns of lead-free wire on the shank and then shove it up into the bead, then lock that in with just a few turns of thread. I like that chenille idea.

I have a DK Squire, which was given to me by a friend. I've tied down to size 22 1x fine with no problems. Standard jaws. I'm not sure of the cost, but I'm pretty sure it's one of thier more basic models. Probably around $150, if not less. And it's bulletproof, like all DK's. Might be a good choice. Good luck.

I have two of these. One for home and one for work.(Yes, they let me tie at work. They pay me so little, it's the least they could do!) I've never used a 'real' tying light like an Ottlight, so I can't really say how it compares but, for the price, it does a good job. And as long as I don't know what I'm missing, I'm cool.

What has been said so far is right on. Good first effort. And your enthusiasm will take you a long way. Here's what I have to add: - If you want to weight your nymphs, go with a beadhead. It adds some flash and wont bulk up your body, plus it'll keep the eye clear. If you do use wire, keep it to the thorax, which should be thicker anyway. - While you're getting beadheads, get some fine gold or copper wire for ribbing. Flat tinsel can dominate the body if your tying small. - Less dubbing, less dubbing, less dubbing. Lay it on thin, at least until you get the feel for things. You can always wrap more on if you need to build up your body. All that said, I'm sure those will catch fish. They're sure buggy enough! Go out and give 'em a shot!

Just keep at it, man, you'll get faster. I would recommend you get a book that details the many different techniques you'll need to learn, then keep tying flies using techniques that are new to you. There are probably many, but the one I used/use is 'A Benchside Introduction to Flytying' , I think by Leeson and Schollmeyer. It has a decent, though not exhaustive, assortment of patterns and a separate section of techniques which you can reference at the same time you are looking at the 'recipe' for a particular pattern. The most important thing, though, is to strive to keep learning not, necessarily, to tie faster, but better. As you get more into it, you'll run into problems or come up with questions, so just go look for answers. Whether in books, the internet, shows, other tyers, they're out there. Some will work for you and some won't. And try not to go more than a few days without tying, if you can, so you develop a 'muscle memory' of sorts. Before you know it, you'll realize you're not so slow anymore. Good luck. And welcome to the addiction.