Most Difficult Procedure?
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?
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
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
It Just Doesn't Matter....
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
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.
to keep materials on top of the hook shank, try this:Originally Posted by Buddy Sanders
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
Last edited by Normand; 02-14-2009 at 10:13 AM.
Due to my obsession with small fly's (a 18 is huge to me) and my overgrown fingers getting the hook's in the Blankety So&So vice(and Yes I meant to spell it that way).
Buddy,
Well, I tried to post a link to Al Campbell's Woven Body Bitch Creek Nymph, but all I could get was a picture of the gif. If you go to Fly Tying, then Advanced Fly Tying, you can find it there. I don't know why the link didn't work. I guess I'm not quite geek enough. It IS a handsome fly.
undoubtedly the hardest thing for me is to get smooth underbodies on classic salmon flies. its one of the most important steps and it gives me problems every time
Hi Lotech [pathetic joke was intentional, apologies.]
The hardest procedure at the momeni is just getting re-started fly tying.
After a year, I have something like writers block.
As to upright wings, the following may be helpful.
It is a direct copy from Roger Woolley's book.
http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/page138.html
Last edited by Donald Nicolson; 02-14-2009 at 01:07 PM.
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