stonefly nymph

[assalan 0]

In general, five flies. See below.

 

TMC300, silk, wire, GP, goose biots, Loon head finish.

[BigDaddyHub 0]

Don't know enough to really critique other tiers in the realm of realistics, but I love the underside of the fly!

[David Legg 0]

That's super looking work!

[assalan 0]

Previous attempt. Evolution :wallbash:

[BigDaddyHub 0]

Now you have to keep in mind that I am a tier of mediocre talent and have very limited experience with realistics, especially true realistics, but I like the first attempt as well. While your second attempt has a more robust body, I like the wing casings on your first attempt. Great work on both flies, but I'm not sure which one, based simply on what appeals to me aestheticly (sp?), I like better...

[assalan 0]

Thank you for your flattering feedback. I can hardly carry on a conversation due to poor English. I beg your pardon. Realistic flies I began to tye 3 weeks ago. Those that are laid out: 8 and 6 variants. The first two are due more to fishing realistiks. Other attempts, if you are interested, I'll try to lay out in the coming days. I personally do not like either one. I look forward to constructive criticism.

[BigDaddyHub 0]

Still have not attempted a realistic (in the truest form)...can learn alot from following your attempts and success....keep sharing....Your English is sufficient for communication!

[Olefish 0]

Lookes to nice to go fishing with and let some fish tair it up.

Kenn

[assalan 0]

Much more shame if it will hang on a high branch. Frightening to think how many normal flies could be tyed durig spent two days.

[assalan 0]

№3

[David Legg 0]

All three versions are fantastic ties! I love your sentiment about hanging one in a tree. I'd rather have mine go down in battle, and not as collateral damage. :headbang:

 

I spent some time tying some realistics a few years back, though they weren't as good as yours are. I fished all of them, except the ones I gave away, but I had very limited success with them. I did far better with flies that were more generalized in appearance it seemed, but also which allowed for some movement. I did a lot better, for example when I used rubber legs that could swing and bend and wiggle than with the bent broom bristle legs that looked so cool when they were just sitting there.

 

I think the best case was a crayfish I tied that was a mess. It had great proportions, and certainly suggested crayfish, but there was no way anyone who could halfway see would ever mistake it for the real deal. It did however have a lot of marabou hackle that would breathe magnificently in the water, and a tail that would flex under as I stripped it in. So I took it to a deep run on the Merrimack River in New Hampshire, and slung the thing upstream above the head of the run, and let it swirl down into the deep part of the run. When it had hit the point I was looking for, I began to strip it in. On the second strip, it was snatched by a gnarly old river smallie that hit so hard it hurt my fingers because I wasn't gripping the rod tightly enough to keep the reel from slamming into them as the rod jumped. A battle ensued that included some amazing somersaults, (mostly by the fish) some long runs, a few wraps around river rocks, and other general mayhem. In the end, I managed to reign in the dodger, and retrieved my mangled fly and released the fish. I have never had a fly so thoroughly destroyed as that particular one. It was one of my concept flies meant to test design ideas, and was one of a kind, but part of a large batch of weird stuff. Anyway, you could never tell what it had originally looked like after that ordeal, so it was never completely reproduced, but the truth was, it wasn't anything special... it just had some great movement, and was a good impressionistic design. That happened about the time I was pursuing realistics and fishing them with less than stellar results, and caused me to veer off that course, and back to other stuff.

 

Honestly, I still really admire the realistics, and would love to spend time trying my hand at that again, but it seems that there is always more stuff that I want to tie that I need for some upcoming fishing, and so I never seem to get started. Keep posting your work though. It's amazing stuff! You have some incredible talent, and are clearly very resourceful in finding ways to accomplish what you are looking for.

 

Thanks for sharing those!

David <><

[assalan 0]

Thank you David, for so encouraging feedback.

Frankly, a special talent for not noticing, but patience and experimentation are presented in abundance. What else to do in winter? 60-80 cm of ice on all waters ... Tying flies for fishing in the absence of fishing prospects in the next 2 months - a straight road in suasshedshy home ...

A realistic fly is a perfect gift to any fly-fishermen. On the other hand fishing with realistics - rather a way of narcissism, and shocking people far from fly-fishig. :devil:

[arkle 0]

Every fly of yours that I see impresses me, each one is better than the one before. Magnificent work, please continue.

[assalan 0]

№4

Small resemblance to the origina

[Fred H. 0]

I see improvement in each one . And some things are probably getting easier for you. I shutter to think what you would think of my first realistics. You are doing well and I think you will only get better. Keep it up.

Fred