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It's a fly!
Ok, maybe not that exciting to the rest of you, and I'm sure beauty is deffinately in the eye of the beholder, but after spending 4~5 hours reading Al Campbell's beginning fly tying section here on FAOL, and then spending another hour and a half giving birth, or technically speaking giving a hatch, I am now the proud father of my very own fly.
I'll try and post a pic or two tomorrow. I just wonder how well it will fool a fish.
Does anyone on here recall if they actually caught something on the first fly they tied?
Jonathan
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Hi Jonathan.
I remember this phase in my life, read a whole book before even trying.
I probable tyed a popular pattern so I'm quite sure I got something on the hook ;)
And the fish don't mind how well it's tied ;)
I get the biggest kick out of trying to create my own patterns and if I catch a fish on it I'm a happy man :D
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Not sure if I caught a fish on the first fly I tied, but I can tell you that the first fish I caught on a fly that I had tied was one of those moments in my life that I will never forget. It was on the Lower Mountain Fork River in Oklahoma. A nice 17" 'bow with deep color. The fly was a chartruse (sp) copper john. When the fish took the fly I thought I was king of the world. There is something so magical about getting a fish on something that you made in your house with your hands... it just wrapps the whole sport up for me. Since then I use my flies almost exclusively (I am horrible at tying dry flies).
Congrats on your first fly. You are in for an amazing ride.
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Hi Jonathan,
My first fly was a red bucktail streamer and I caught a crappie on it. There weren't any waters to catch trout near the Iowa dairy farm I grew up on. Take care & ...
Tight Lines - Al Beatty
www.btsflyfishing.com
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Alright, here it is. I swear it looked 100 X better before I saw the blown up photos :lol:
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r.../FirstFly3.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r.../FirstFly5.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r.../FirstFly1.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r.../FirstFly4.jpg
Anyways, it's my first so it can only improve from here. I'm more then happy to hear constructive criticism, and of course more stories about other peoples first hatches.
Jonathan
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Jonathan, that looks a whole lot better than my first fly. Well done! You might want to keep it safe for nostalgia's sake. Tye some more and take 'em fishing. Have fun. BTW, condolences on the loss of your sanity. Welcome to the addiction/club! :shock:
warm regards,
Ed
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Hey, that looks like a good job... You picked a pretty tough fly for your first... way to go. I had a lot of problems with proportion when I first started until I saw a little diagram with some sample proportions... I think it is on this site somewhere. All in all, I think you did a great job. Next you might want to try some zebra midges, or pheasant tail nymphs. Those are both good patterns to learn with and are great confidence builders.
I promise you, regardless of how long you have been fishing, the first time you catch a fish on one of your own flies is an amazing rush...
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Great first fly!!
My first fly was a size 8 wooly bugger, and no, I didn't use it for fishing. It's saved for posterity! The first fly I tied that caught a fish was a crackleback, and not only did I save the fly, it's framed with the picture of the fish I used it on! It still brings a smile to my face when I look at it.
Now, just wait till you build your first ROD!!!
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Thanks all for the kind comments. I went camping this weekend and didn't find out till we got to the campground that the lake was stocked only with catfish. Needless to say I didn't catch anything and my attempts to practice my casting skills were suverly foiled by a highly annoying wind. I did however tie a few more flies that I may post a few more pics later once I get them downloaded off the camera.
Oh, and Betty, the moment I start trying to build my own rods, I can almost picture my wifes face as she's kicking me out of the house. =)
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Great Job!!! i also recommend you put this fly in a clear box by itself for posterity. You can tie more to fish with. Welcome to the madness and late nights.
Joe