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March 22nd, 1999
UNIVERSAL TROUT FLY
This column is for the beginning fly fisher/tier.
As you may imagine I have here at the mansion far more editions
of books with pictures and instructions of flies and how to tie them
than any sane chap should possess. I don't often write about how
to tie flies, but I will make an exception here. It is time someone
made a bit of sense out of this subject, and I am, of course, the
perfect one to do it.
(insert hook picture here)
(Tied by J Castwell)
MATERIALS LIST: for J. Castwell's UNIVERSAL TROUT FLY
Hook: What ever you have laying around; not too big, not
too small, try to get it just about the right size for the fish you are after.
Thread: This is a problem. With so many colors and thicknesses
available you will have to muddle this one out for yourself, sorry.
Tail: By all means consider a tail. Some great flies have had them,
yet others have not. Use (if you decide to put one on) something nice.
Remember to make it the right length.
Body: Here you could really mess up. This fly is almost always tied
with a body. The materials I like to use vary with the color and size of the fly.
Be sure to take that into consideration when attaching the body, and do a nice job.
Wing: Optional. It depends if you are going to use the fly on
a stream or lake, but you can go either way.
Hackle: Very difficult to tie, so I often use poor quality stuff as it
doesn't seem to matter a lot. If you have some around and the time,
go ahead and put some on a few of them. Color is variable with the seasons.
TYING INSTRUCTIONS
Since you are new to this, really good instructions would be a
waste of time. Get some stuff and have at it. You will probably throw
it away anyhow.
CONCLUSIONS
Most of the books I have researched for this have mentioned things
similar to the above. I may have stretched it a bit, however the point here is
this. When you start out, have fun. Don't get all uptight because you don't
know one fly from another. It is not that important. Buy a few, take them out,
lose a few in the process of casting and fishing, hopefully you will catch
something other than a tree, go home, tie a few flies no mater how they look,
try them the next time you go out.
We all started just about where you are now and have had a
wonderful time. If you knew it all now it would take a lot of the enjoyment
out of the sport. That is part of it, a big part, the learning of all the different
aspects available to you. ~ JC
Next week: The Universal Rod!
P.S. If you think there may be a universal fly, you have more to learn than I figured. :^)
Till next week, remember ...
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