Favorite shortcuts

[raclay]

I wonder what tying shortcuts you use for various patterns and materials. For example, I have a hard time/short patience with the biots for Prince nymphs and substitute appropriately sized rubber strips for the biots to no obvious detriment. Another is using synthetic peacock dubbing instead of fragile and often frustrating herl.

A purist might reject such shortcuts but I'm just a practical guy.

Thanks!

[flyandtie]

synthetic peacock, gluing biots for princes before tying them in, crimping barbs and adding beads before starting to tie, laying out materials for a fly before starting to tie them,..................... ahhh many others that have escaped my mind for a minute .............might reply with more later

[Gringo]

Go for the peacock herl strung on a wire, it is relatively expensive but fantastic to use, and extremely durable to fish with.

My latest time saver is to string my completed flies on a strand of copper wire (through the eye) as I found even though I religiously clean out the eye after tying with a dubbing needle, sometimes a piece of thread or whatever underneath can still occlude it- resulting in much frustration on the stream. At least if they are strung as suggested I KNOW that the eye is clear. Also I end up with a nice little string of flies.

[flyster101]

For many years I was a glue freak. I'd glue everything in sight. One evening while tying up some drys for the next day of fishing I ran out of glue. I only tied up a couple for fear of them coming apart. Well one of the glueless flys caught 9 trout before I lost it to tree limb. I have done this for more than 10 years now and I can not remember the last when a fly came apart. Now I do not glue flys size 12 and under. The only time I use glue is when I what a shinny head on a nymph. Later.