The Fly Tying Thread

[durangopipe]

Tying is a sickness. I saw a picture today at work and the first thing I thought was "That would be a cool streamer". So I did a little prototyping (goofing off) when I got home.

The fly:
Size 2 Hook
Foam body
Mylar cord sheath



The inspiration:



Thoughts:
Too much tail.
Mylar is more transparent than I guessed. I should have been more mindful of the thread wrap pattern.
I'm going to fish it and see what happens.

(Just so the original doesn’t get lost, and yes, it’s a sickness - a kind of divine madness.)

[FredS]

Tying is a sickness. I saw a picture today at work and the first thing I thought was "That would be a cool streamer". . .

Idenit? I have dozens (OK hundreds) of flies I tied just because I saw some sexy new pattern on the internet. I don't how geezers like Steve got by in the old days when the best they had were a few books with only a few dozen tried and true patterns.

Mylar is more transparent than I guessed. I should have been more mindful of the thread wrap pattern.

You can use that translucency to your advantage. Blood and guts of real minnows sometimes show through so you can use black/gray and red thread to create a very realistic fly. Not that the fish care all that much, but it's fun to try different things. It's also helpful to dunk your first fly in a glass of water to see what it looks like wet. Shrimp or scud patterns with light colored dubbing look cool with gray, red, or orange thread showing through as 'veins'.

[Gabriel]

Wow. Agreed that your tail is too long, but you’ve captured the essence of the rooster’s stance wonderfully. Nice.

[Gabriel]

Came across this filing cabinet amongst a host of things at the Ranch that we have no use for and was told I could have it. Looks like it was used for organizing 35mm slides. I’m putting it to good use for hooks, yarn, thread, beads... you get the idea.

[durangopipe]

Came across this filing cabinet amongst a host of things at the Ranch that we have no use for and was told I could have it. Looks like it was used for organizing 35mm slides. I’m putting it to good use for hooks, yarn, thread, beads... you get the idea.

Man, that is fantastic!

[JimVH]

Man, that is fantastic!

I'll say. Rita has been begging me to find something to get my stuff better organized.

Great find, Gabe.

[Gabriel]

Somehow David McPhail makes it look so much easier... first attempt.



Yes, it’s monstrous.

[Bloodhound]

Came across this filing cabinet amongst a host of things at the Ranch that we have no use for and was told I could have it. Looks like it was used for organizing 35mm slides. I’m putting it to good use for hooks, yarn, thread, beads... you get the idea.

Man, that is fantastic!

That is what that was built for...the manufacturer just didn't know it. Congrats on a great find

[Gabriel]

Mrs Gabriel and little ms gabriel were at Michael’s getting some yarning supplies and found me some guinea feathers

[durangopipe]

Mrs Gabriel and little ms gabriel were at Michael’s getting some yarning supplies and found me some guinea feathers

Love me some guinea fowl feathers!

[Gabriel]

Needs a lot of work, but finally trying my hand with extended bodies. Also, I’m in great need of better hackle feathers.

[Gabriel]

Extended body light Cahill. Hook shank a bit too long.

[Gabriel]

Still working

[durangopipe]

Still working

Very nicely tied, Gabe!

[JimVH]

My first attempt at the Adams fly is an abomination so grotesque it could star in a B horror movie.

[durangopipe]

My first attempt at the Adams fly is an abomination so grotesque it could star in a B horror movie.

Excellent.
B movie stardom is a step up from C movie stardom, and on the road to an A movie role!

[FredS]

My first attempt at the Adams fly is an abomination so grotesque it could star in a B horror movie.

Excellent.
B movie stardom is a step up from C movie stardom, and on the road to an A movie role!

The Adam's is like a billiard. You've seen hundreds of them so you know what it's supposed to look like, and when your's doesn't it's easy to tell. Like with a billiard, it's all about the proportions and once you get it figured out it'll come easy from then on. For me, it helps to have an example of the ideal shape to copy rather than a photo or, worse, the mental image you have of the ideal.

With dry flies, I tended to not leave enough room up front for the hackle. My mental image put it right up behind the eye when it should be 1/4 of the shank back from the eye. Maybe not that far, but not too close either. I forced myself to start it further back than I thought I should and then crept forward 'till I hit the sweet spot.

[JimVH]

I'm tying up a few worms. Is there a rule of thumb on how long they should be? Does it really matter?

[durangopipe]

I'm tying up a few worms. Is there a rule of thumb on how long they should be? Does it really matter?

Yeah, it might.
If much too long you can sometimes get short strikes.

Also, I like to tie them with the material hanging off of both the front and the back of the hook. That way, I feel, they wiggle on both endsmore like a real worm and seem to appear less connected to a leader.

Sometimes, in larger sizes, they work really well tied with orange thread and a band of the orange thread in the middle that both holds the material to the hook, and looks like a clitellum.

Or don’t bother.
Worms are deadly in most water.
And few flies are as simple to tie.

In my experience most takes on a worm imitation are pretty strong.

[FredS]

I also tie worms with the material more or less centered on the hook. In use, the material in front of the eye actually folds to the back and you get two wiggly bits. For fast water, I tie some with two beads on the hook with the worm material humped over the beads and tied on each side. Orange and red worms are my best performers for trout. I use ultra chenille but the rubber squirmy wormy is really popular these days and may stay 'straighter' instead of folding back. Especially in still water.