csearsdirk

I've been tying a lot of wooly buggers lately and have a few questions.

1) All my hackle points forward towards the head. Does this matter? Should it be pointing back? If so, how can I make this happen? I have tried flipping the hackle strand around when I tie it to the shank, but this hasn't changed the direction the fibers point.

2) Does it matter the size of the hackle? I am using cheap Chinese strung saddle hackle and they vary a lot from strand to strand.

3) Do the experts prefer bead heads to cone heads? It seems most streamers have a cone, but most buggers I see have a gold bead.

4) I have been using ice chenile for the body. Do I need wire rib? Is the wire rib simply to hold everything in place, or does it attract fish? I'd rather not use rib because it is another piece I have to tie in at the shank which adds too many wraps and bulk.

Thanks, and I can post pics of my flies if that will help.

I searched for this, but couldn't find much. how do you strip peacock herl? mine just keep breaking.

thanks everyone. i have actually tied a lot of slumpbusters. i have never fished them yet, but i love chunking big streamers, and that seems like a killer pattern. i tend to nymph quite a bit. so that is probably a good place to start. i started fishing a lot of terrestrials last season and just stocked up on a bunch of foam and rubber legs, so maybe hoppers are a good place to start as well. it seems to be a bit overwhelming to try to fill empty fly boxes, but those are good ideas about figuring out what i used the most last season. i did pick up a book by skip morris with patterns for trout.

I live in Colorado and fish about 35-50 days a year and live close to tailwaters, big and medium size rivers. I am by no means an expert, actually far from it, but have a drift boat and can typically catch at least a few fish when I go out, although not always. I really want to start tying now and stock up for the upcoming season, but I am drawing a huge blank on what I should be tying. I haven't been tying for very long. Normally before a day of fishing, I go to the local fly shop and buy 1-2 dozen flies after talking to the experts about what's going on. Now I am simply confused on what I need to be stocking up on and what sizes. A large part of this is due to not having fished for a few months. However, I am really at a loss on where to start. I'm the type of guy that sort of needs a list which motivates me and keeps me on track. So my question to more experienced tiers and fly fisherman is how do you come to decide what you need for the upcoming season. I'd like to have a pretty well rounded fly selection. I realize a better knowledge of my local waters and entomology would help me out, but I'm pretty lacking in that discipline. I guess I am just thinking out loud, and wondering if others have a similar problem.

Thanks rockworm and utyer. That is exactly the information I have been looking for.

I still consider myself a beginner, but have tied a couple hundred flies. I got the Danvise. It came with all the tools I need, including some that I still haven't figured out what to do with! It also comes with a nice oak pedestal. I can't remember the price, but it seemed like a really good value. It might be more than what you want to spend if you are not sure you are going to stick with it.

Hi. I was wanting to try to tie some H&L Variants and some attractor patterns that are similar in sizes 10-14. I am confused by hackle. I have limited experience using hackle. About the only thing I've used is some grizzly hackle for PMXs that I got from a starter kit I purchased online. I don't seem to have the hackle that I see online for H/L's. What do I need? How do you know what size to use? I don't think I am quite ready to throw down on a full hackle that costs a 100 bucks. To be completely honest, I am not even sure what hackle really is or means. Thanks in advance. This forum is great.

I really like all trout. I have never caught a bull trout, but my order of preference is:

Browns

Cuttys

Rainbows

I fish a lot of tailwaters in the spring time, and all I catch are rainbows, so I always am jonesing for big browns come July on bigger, free flowing rivers.

Thanks. I have never given to much thought to your second point, but it sounds like fun.

Hi everyone. I have a Cannon 20D with a pretty crappy lens that came with it. I would like to get a new lens for pretty much one sole purpose; that is to take pictures of the guy in the front or back of my drift boat where I have the fish in focus and the fisherman holding the fish to be blurred, or vice versa. I am a very amateurish photog, but would a fixed focal length lens that went down to a f/1.8 or f/1.4 do the trick? It seems you can get very fast lenses for not that much money if they are a fixed focal length with no zoom. What size would be good? 50mm? Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Hi everyone. I am ordering some materials for a few flies and I can't figure out what to use for a rainbow warrior. The pattern I really like is on the Charlie's Flybox website. It calls for Wapsi SowScud Dubbing, Rainbow, but I can't find it on the website I am using, which is J. Stockard.

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/de...fm?parentID=137

What else will work?

Thanks!

The first 2 are the first one I tied. I for some reason whip finished one leg. Pretty ugly.

Any suggestions? For some reason, I can tie these much better if I don't pull the legs and wing back and get them out of the way with wire. When I do this, the legs get out of place when I wrap the peacock hurl.

Thanks again for the advice everyone. I have gotten fairly good at getting the tail and wing in the proper place. I have been getting much tighter wraps and that seems to do the trick. The soft loop method was money. (Thanks kyflytyer).

Now, after I tie in the hackle and peacock, and begin to wrap the peacock forward, my legs spin and are so off center. When I first tie them in, they are perfect, but they are not staying in place when I try to wrap the peacock forward. I am thinking I didn't tie them in tight enough in the beginning?

I have never had very good success with rubber legs for any patterns I have tried. I really like rubber legs and seldom fish any flies without them. I just want to know how to make them less cock-eyed.

THanks

Thanks for the help everyone. I will try this out tonight and maybe post some pics of my mangled flies for criticism.

Hi Everyone. I am new to this forum. I am completely self taught and have learned most things by looking at online tutorials. I am trying to tie PMX patterns on a size 10 dry fly hook and am experiencing some difficulty.

1) I have a hair stacker. I don't understand how to use it so the hair is even at the ends. My stacker has an open insert at the top that fits into the bottom part, if that helps. Any quick advice on how to stack elk hair?

2) When I try to tie in the elk hair tail, it always slides to the side of the hook, away from me. Always. Tips?

3) When I try to tie in the elk hair wing, it does not stay put. Is this because I am using too much? Again, size 10 hook. I am using Uni-Thread, 8/0. Is this too fine of thread? Is it just a matter of practice?

Thanks,

c