Most Difficult Procedure?

[Lotech]

I'm having fits trying to tie feather wings. Especially the upright feather wing on a Royal Coachman. I don't know if I'm using bad quills or what. I'm curious what your most troubling tying procedure is. I won't even try woven bodies like the Bitch Creek. What's your toughest thing about tying flies the way you like them?

[wayneb]

For me it's everything!!

Up till now I haven't tried tying anything below a size 10.

This year I decided to go smaller and what a challenge!

mis proportioned materials, crowded heads, over sized heads, material on crooked, etc.

This is going to take time & patience!

Wayneb

[Buddy Sanders]

Lotech,

For me, it's getting stuff 'centered' on top of the shank. I'm always just a bit off, first go. I have to remember to turn the vise and actually 'look' to make sure things are straight.

By the way,

'Weaving' on the 'Bitch Creek' is a fairly new thing. None of the ones I've ever fished were woven, and in all of the older books I have showing that pattern, weaving isn't even mentioned. In fact, now that I think of it, I've never SEEN a Bitch Creek Nymph with a woven body (I know it can be done, but...why?). Why would someone go to all that trouble on fly that's just fine, maybe even great, without it? I'd never bother with it, unless I just wanted to show off...the fish certainly don't care.

Buddy

[hap]

lotech
Make good decisions about size and location. Then wrap the wings on and stand them up. Make a predetermined number of wraps to stand them up and another group to divide them, then move to the next step. It is the micromanaging that kills you.

The hackle will help stand the wings up just right. If you tie them on in the right place and at the right length the rest will work out fine... Tie a bunch of wood duck flank wings first and see what that does to make life easier...
art

[92Esquire]

The one that kills me is trying to tie the legs on a Copper John using the "V-notch" feather. That's the reason Pheasant Tails outnumber Copper Johns in my fly box about 3-1.

[Normand]

For me, it's getting stuff 'centered' on top of the shank. I'm always just a bit off, first go.

to keep materials on top of the hook shank, try this:

as you are winding the thread over the material, pull the material up on a slight angle and toward you. by doing this, the thread torque of each revolution will bring the material to the top of the hook. you may have to wiggle the material at times, but it does work.

cheers

[Grubb]

Lotech maybe this will help...
Type this in Google search,
"YouTube - Tying the Royal Coachman"
or "youtube tying up right wings"
Watching someone else tye stuff helps me...

[Bakerloo]

For me, the hardest thing is going to the flyshop to get 2 things and NOT comming home with 20 things. That's the hard part for me.

[8wt]

Among others, tying tinsel without it being bunched at the hook bend and not laying flat.

[rookie]

This is a great post Lotech,

I love tying so much, as much as fishing. I have had the opportunity to have a great mentor from this site and he has taught me well. My absolute greatest drawback is, I am not creative. There are many techniques I don't know but can usually follow by way of a step-by-step. Being creative can't be taught and I have none nor ever will. So I am a fraud, an infringer on other's copyright, a plagerizer (no I don't take credit for anything and always give credit where it is due). I don't think I left anything out.