wings for small flies

[rainbowchaser]

I have always found it difficult to find good looking hackle tips for wings on very small flies. This weekend I was playing around with wonder wings and tried them on a size 18 hook. That went well so I took the jump and tied a couple of #24's. I think that will be the the way I tie all very small mayflies in the future. Try it....I think you'll like it.

[flybinder]

If you'd like to have "semi free wings" for small flies, cut them out of regular "Lipton Tea" tea bags, they work great for wings and look very natural too! ("Semi-free", 'cuz ya have to buy the tea!)

[Fatman]

Try Denny's JV hen skins for your wing needs. I've tied from 10-24 from the JV Grizzly hen skin I bought from him and you can beat the price.

Fatman

[Humber Brad]

If you'd like to have "semi free wings" for small flies, cut them out of regular "Lipton Tea" tea bags, they work great for wings and look very natural too! ("Semi-free", 'cuz ya have to buy the tea!)

Somehow, that sounds familiar, yet it hit me like lightning! I have a huge box of greentea that I won't be drinking anytime soon....trout look out!!

[Buddy Sanders]

As an aside,

On flies that small, you could just leave the wings off altogether. On very small dry flies I've found that the most difficult operation involved in the tying is messing with the wings. If you just don't use them, the flies go much faster. AND, there are benefits...

There is no 'up or down' to the fly, however it lands is fine. With flies that small, a slight torque in the wrong direction when tying the knot will have the fly laying off center if you have wings on it. The hook is to light to overcome this.

The fish certainly don't seem to care, either. I've stopped using wings on anything smaller than a #16. Still catching lots of trouts.

Buddy

[JohnScott]

Buddy -

Those flies are the ultimate cripples.

John

[rainbowchaser]

Buddy, I think that I fish palmered hackle flies more than anything else in the very small sizes but not all of my tying is as directly related to what I will actually fish as it should be. There is something neat about that row of miniscule mayfly imitations that I always admire even as I decide to use a griffith's gnat again.
Flybinder, do you use size 24 wing cutters? Now you've got me confused.

[flybinder]

Sorry! Didn't mean to "Corn-Fuse ya'! (Lord, KNOWS, I spend 99.9% of MY LIFE that way as it is!).
Actually, all I do, is trace around my small wing burner, with an "ultrafine Sharpie", on the tea bags then cut the wings with my Dr.Slick's INSIDE the black line I made, to get the right size and profile.
I use, wings, on my smallest flies, ("IF" they're called for in the original pattern that is), because, one......... I like the looks of them, when done, two...with the very small size,the body material, even in proper proportions, is less so I like the "profile" the wings add to the fly and lastly, "fooling and playing" with wings quite small, even though it can be a hassle on some flies, I've learned, really helps to sharpen my tying skills all that much more, even when going back to larger flies!
Whether, or not, it makes a difference to the trouties is secondary really to me. If I'm "COPYING" a particular pattern, then I add in the wings. If I'm "JUST TYING" that same pattern, in other words, "I'm altering the pattern", for whatever reason, then I may leave the wings off.