Is there any cure for fly tying or am I beyond hope here?

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
1

:o Tonight I discovered something really sick about myself. I love to ty bead head flies. :shock: I have never given them a serious try until this evening. Heck, I never could put a neat, tapered head on wet flies anyway. I think I am running a fever now. Is there any hope for me? :?

2

:wink: Nope! No hope.
Try some Ice Cream Cone choronamids. They’re so easy they almost tie themselves.

3

Eric,
You better NEVER try a beadhead Hare’s Ear nymph for brown trout. They think it’s candy! :shock:
Doug :smiley:

4

:lol: Nighthawk, This is just a start. I know I started the same way. Shoot flies aint hard. Mayby Ill buy a rod kit? Heheheh Your on the slide enjoy

5

Sorry one of the twelve signs of addiction is having to ask that question in the first place.
The absolute point of no return is having a large fish come to hand with one of your own flies in the corner of its mouth.

6

If you figure out a cure for this disease let me know…WAIT I don’t want to be cured :lol:

-Hillard

7

:smiley: Hot diggity dog! Fishes that like rabbit and ice cream cones! It don’t get any better than this! :lol:

Now I can ty real nice woolly buggers too. I have had a bad year to date but this has perked me right up. Think I’ll hit the waters tomorrow and try some of these out. Where can I find the pattern for the ice cream cone choronomids?

Yee Ha-aw! :mrgreen:

8

all I can say is that I am reading this at midnight after trying (unsuccessfully) to figure out how to get the dubbing right on a gosh darn Hare’s Ear for the last two hours…
don’t think there is a cure… :twisted:

9

“after trying (unsuccessfully) to figure out how to get the dubbing right on a gosh darn Hare’s Ear for the last two hours…”

I feel your pain,rawfish.  My dubbing is looking pretty good for tying scuds, but unfortunately,not every fly looks decent with a huge fuzzy mess of dubbing hanging off it.

Rodger
I'd rather be fishing!!!
10

Eric, just wait until you see how effective beadhead nymphs are when fished. Me thinks that your sickness is just getting started, wait until it gets a real grip on you.

It has been known to cause grown men to drool at the site of new fly tying catalogs, grovel at the feet of their wife asking for just one more trip to the Fly Shop (after having been there twice already that same day), and to spend countless hours alone in the corner of the basement sitting at their tying desk and staring blankly into space whilst daydreaming of that new material they just got to have(not that i speak from experience or anything).

Don’t even get me started on what can happen once you get a few buddies together for some tying sessions or if your kids take an interest in tying… It’s a good thing that marriage vows have the " in SICKNESS and in health" part in there.

11

Eric:
You sir, are a goner :stuck_out_tongue:

Tim Anderson

12

Where can I find the pattern for the ice cream cone choronomids?

Try here. :smiley:
http://www.kootenayflyshop.ca/fishing/fly_month.html

God Bless,

13

It is not an addiction. It is just a hobby.
I could quit anytime that I wanted to.

My wife has a very different opinion of this.

Rick

14

Me too Rick, me too :wink:

15

No fishing today! Stayed up late talking to ohiotuber last night. Really enjoyed my visit with Mike. Got up this morning and the weather is bad.

Time to tie more flies! :smiley:

Thanks for the link to the ice cream cone pattern. Any more patterns would be appreciated. Your posts have reminded of what I like the most about this BB. I like the people here. Thanks folks.

16

Hi Nighthawk,

I would suggest some soft-hackle flies. Simple to tie, and often very effective. Keep the body as slim as possible (i.e., two layers of tying thread, just down the shank and back up), and the body ends at the point or half-way to the barb (though some styles, as Donald has pointed out, are even shorter). Most importantly, keep the hackle sparse (one turn of partrigde feather is enough, two at the very most, and only until you get comfortable with just one!). These are usually tied in sizes 12 to 16, though smaller can be done as can larger.

You can add a thorax (small dubbed lump), and a dusting of dubbing over body as well. Peakcock hurl can be wrapped as a throax, or in front of the hackle as the head. Ribbing of thread, or very light wire is sometimes added. I think adding a tail turns them into a “flymph”, while “tail-less” they are “North Country Spiders”. Bodies are typically thread or floss, but hurls, fibers, and dubbing can all be used for bodies.

As simple as these patterns can be (as little as two materials, body and hackle), they can really improve ones tying skills. They allow you to concentrate on the neatness of your thread wraps, neatness of hackle, proportions, the head, etc. With everythign so sparse, and minimal, they really help one learn just how little dubbing material one has to use, etc. Donald has a few posts showing a wonderful variety of patterns, and all are beautifully tied.

The great thing is, these flies are also great fish catchers. When you see the fish feeding just below the surface, choose a soft-hackle. When you see them taking off the surface, choose a soft-hackle on a light wire hook! :slight_smile:

  • Jeff