A year and a half into tying my own flies and for the most part I've been able to figure things out with a little help from the guys at the local shop. However, about 10% of my traditional (i.e.: not parachute) dries land with a face plant when I cast them. By face plant, I mean the hook end is pointed straight up out of the water. I've also had some flies land the opposite way with the hook pointed straight down into the water. When this happens, I usually play around with my cast and tippet knot before giving up and switching flies.

Is there a rule of thumb for balancing materials at either end of the fly? Am I right in assuming this is a tying and not a casting problem?

-Andy