First ties...help welcome

[Spanky 0]

:baby:

 

These are my first attempts. I am looking for help in improving proportions and appearance. Thanks for making a rookie welcome.

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum Spanky!

 

If those are your first flies you should be quite proud of yourself, you are well on your way!!! From glancing at your pics I'm guessing your attempting a dry fly. I'm not expert on dries but I would say that your hackle is a little too long and a little sparse. The hackle is what gives the fly its bouyancy and the barbs should be stiff and compact to keep in on top of the water.

 

OSD did a nice step by step article on this same style of fly that you might want to check out. He explains each step and also explains what type of material you should look for: http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?act...e&article_id=39

 

You can also check out the free Al Beatty video called "Grey Drake" where he also describes the techniques you are using: http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=10953

 

Keep us posted on your progress!

[Gregg A 0]

Like smallie, said, you are well on your way. For your hackle, try using a smaller feather, maybe tie in two to give you a fuller appearance. It will float much better with shorter, fuller hackle. Definatly check out the articles smallie mentioned, they will help a lot. And be sure to stick around, you will learn more than you ever thought you could. I know my tying has improved quite a bit from being on this site. There are some truly amazing tyers here.

[Sjo Crapels 0]

Well Spanky, if these are your first flies you should consider a carreer as a professional tier. They are really neat and good to use, allthough our comrades are wright about the measurements of the wing and the hackle. You should've seen my first attempt. On the chart it said red tag. It never reached the water. I put my lighter to it. Now, 32 years later I still don't fish the red tag.

You've found the right place to show of and ask for comment. Happy to have you aboard!

Sjo :headbang:

[day5 0]

well spanky you really need to work on keeping it up NICE WORK!!!!!! I hope to see more of your patterns soon !!!! :headbang: :headbang:

[flytire 0]

Your first efforts are very nice but now comes the critique you asked for:

 

Tails: Should be sized for body length

 

Hackle: Should be about 1 1/2 time the gap of the hook and should be full not sparse

 

Wings: The wings in the fly on the right are too skinny. You could use hen hackles, which are broader for upright wings.

 

Head: Clean up all feather remnants. Should be just thread up there with no hackle stems or feather fibers protuding through the thread head.

 

Keep up the good work and practice, practice, practice.

 

happy Holidays!

[Joe Hard 0]

I find when you tie on your hackles two are best pull them out over the eye to bend the stem a bit, they will wind better and most of the hackle barbs will stick straight up rather lay down toward the end of the hook. Great looking flies. I will tell you what I have learned here take your time and practice. The more you tie the more things become second nature.

[TerryLee 0]

I'm a rookie, too, but they look good to me. Keep at it, we'll get better.

 

Welcome to the fun, you'll like it here. Everybody's been good to me so far.

 

Terry

 

 

[Spanky 0]

:yahoo:

Thank you so much for all the replies guys. My sons are home from college for Thanksgiving and I hope to send some flies back with them to try on the Tuckaseegee. The comments are especially helpful. This stuff is really addictive. Thanks again. Tight lines to all.

[Redleg 0]

Good advise so far, but I'll add hackle density is a preferance. Some of the big names say tie sparse, some say tie thick. If you like thick, add a couple more wraps, or use two hackles with 3-4 turns each. You should use at least as many turns as it takes(assuming the hackle is a half-way decent dry hackle) to keep the hook off the table. I usually lean towards 3-4 turns before the wing and 2 turns after the wing. Keep going, doin' good!

[down2earthlv 0]

Something I regret not doing was holding on to a box of my first ties....I can remember, but there are times I really want to show people how far I've come. I should have put away one out of 3 bugs, or something like that. Not for any other reason but to look back at them oneday. I do have a box now that is a good few years old, but my skill had really improved by then... You'll be really surprised how fast you can pick up on tying! Don't get me wrong, you won't be a professional anytime soon; Heck, I've been wrapping thread for a little over ten years and I still see myself as a beginner....and look for every chance I can get to improve my skills and learn new techniques.

 

I sure wish you could see my first flys, they are laughable in comparison to yours....pay attention to what these guys are telling you, thats the easiest way to learn.

 

It doesnt seem like you have the same problem I had to overcome....my motto now is "less is more", except of course for marabou....fish like lots of that stuff......

 

 

 

 

[Spanky 0]

Thanks again for the suggestions and help. I tied afew this weekend so my sons could take them back to college and try them out for the old man. See what you think and again, all suggestions are welcome. I will probably have to wait for spring to try them myself. Oh well, I'm having almost as much fun tying as I do fishing. Thanks again.

[Spanky 0]

Thanks again for the suggestions and help. I tied afew this weekend so my sons could take them back to college and try them out for the old man. See what you think and again, all suggestions are welcome. I will probably have to wait for spring to try them myself. Oh well, I'm having almost as much fun tying as I do fishing. Thanks again.

[Spanky 0]

Thanks again for the suggestions and help. I tied a few this weekend so my sons could take them back to college and try them out for the old man. See what you think and again, all suggestions are welcome. I will probably have to wait for spring to try them myself. Oh well, I'm having almost as much fun tying as I do fishing. Thanks again.

[kiwifly 0]

Best suggestion I have for newbies, for getting tidy hackle wraps, either for a sparse or heavily dressed dry pattern is to dub a light "bed" under where you will be wrapping the hackle. Use a colour to match the hackle or vary to add a little colour under the hackle.It tends to make the fibres sit tidier and generally at 90 degrees to the shank. Try it out