SpokaneDude

I'm planning on tying this caddis fly ("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDnhRVMcoqg")... notice the body... I am unable to find this anywhere... anybody know where I can find either the body pre-made or where I can find a doc that shows how to make it?

Oops...

Yep, nice job Silver Creek... exactly what I was looking for... Thanks everybody...

Hi... I'm trying to tie a Spent Caddis fly which calls for a blond hen pheasant flank tip for the wings. Where do I find that particular feather? or substitute?

HELP! How do I delete a post? or edit the title? The title above doesn't make any sense, and I need to edit/delete it...

I agree with you about how to patterns are tied and used is what matters... thank you all for the responses... gave me what I was looking for... :-}

Thanks everybody... got it figured out now... :-}

I want to tie the Burk's Hare's Ear Bottom Roller... the wing case uses "sili-skin", which, for the amount I will need" is expensive... are there any cheaper alternatives?

chugbug27: thanks... just bought Allen McGee's book a few days ago (Amazon)... haven't had time to read all of it, just skimmed it so far...

Whatfly: thank you very much... exactly what I was looking for... :-}

I see a lot of articles where the author "fishes the fly just below the surface"... I can't seem to figure out how to tie a fly (preferably a soft-hackle fly) so it lies just below the surface. With all the books I have, I must have missed how to do that. Is it the hook, or weight on the tippet? or? What's the secret?

No, not using black silk... using yellow for "partridge and yellow" soft-hackle fly... not turning out the way I expected, but then again, practice makes perfect! (thanks for the response)

mvedon: thanks...

Rockworm... didn't know about silk thread weakening with age... I assumed that I was buying NEW thread, but not sure... can you tell me why "it's a pleasure to tye [sic] with"? Does it really make a difference to the fish?

Thanks for the response; I'm now wondering if it's worth it to tie with silk; it's a real pain in the ass to work with, and I don't see any visible benefit. Any idea of the quality of YLI vs the more common silk threads?

I have YLI silk thread that I am trying to use to create soft-hackle flies, but when wrapping the silk thread down to the bend and back, it breaks several times. I thought silk thread was supposed to be strong, but this thread does not appear to be strong. I am not applying any pressure (more than normal) on the thread while wrapping, but can't seem to prevent it from breaking! Any ideas of what I'm doing wrong or how to keep this thread from breaking?

Well, that depends on what your are tying. Floss is traditional for some applications. Basically, floss is un-spun thread. It lays flat, and can even be spread out a bit to get a thinner layer. With burnishing, it can appear to be a single, smooth layer. Some threads can be untwisted and do that, but not many. I don't know what you are planning to tie, but, for like a Partridge and Orange, thread is normally used, because you want segmentation. Smooth floss bodies are generally done where you are going to add a contrasting rib, as in traditional wet flies or full dress salmon flies. For soft hackles, which you mention in the subject line, I would probably just use thread. Great... I needed someone to validate what I thought would work...thanks everybody... I really appreciate it!

Do I really need floss? Can't I just wrap multiple layers of silk thread to make the body? (I figure that since floss is composed of multiple silk threads, that I could just replicate it).

Been there, done that... can't find all of the colors I want/need, and the spools are tiny, compared to YLI... thanks anyway!

I have Sylvester Nelmes The Soft-Hackled Fly and Tiny Soft Hackles book and am trying to accumulate the silk thread and floss. I have no problem finding the YLI silk thread in the needed colors (orange, yellow, green and red), but am unable to find any YLI silk floss. Is there a substitute material I can use, or just wrap and wrap the body with silk thread until it's the proper dimension?

vicrider: I agree...

Ahhhh... that makes sense, Bruce... I'm good to go now... thanks to all of you responders... I really, really appreciate it... :-} SD

I mis-read the recipe -- it's for "wings and legs"! Sorry...

** UPDATED ** Hello everybody... I'm going to attempt to tie a "Better-Winged Olive Mayfly" from a recipe I found by Steve Schweitzer. In it, he calls for "gray (dun) hackle" for the wings and legs. Since this is a dry fly, where do I look for this hackle (i.e. what feathers should I be looking for)? Thanks in advance... SpokaneDude

Thanks guys... a complete head has been ordered... I appreciate your time... SD