Fox Tail Streamer

[NateFollmer]

I've only been tying for two days so BACK OFF :-D I tried to have a weave pattern in the ribbing but failed... Used grizzly tackle for the feathers and red fox tail. Looks like I had too much hair in the fly, but we'll see how it works. Any tips would be appreciated!

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Yes IMO you did use too much hair. Also, try not to crowd the eye of the hook. Just back of a little so you can tie a nice contoured head on the fly. It just takes a little practice. You will get it in time. Many times in fly tying less material is better.

 

[NateFollmer]

Thanks, any tips on wrapping ribbing evenly? I did a few hares ear nymphs today too and can't keep the wire wraps even. I seem to do ok with keeping everything else fluent... I think ha ha I never thought tying would be so much fun. Right now id rather tie than fish

 

[littlelehigh]

I do the same thing crowding the head it comes from trying to utilize every millimeter of the hook. Yes prob a third to a quarter of that hair would be enough. As far as ribbing just look at all angle of your fly after each wrap and redo if you need to. I like to really cinch down my wire so it embeds in the body. Stay away from the mylar ribbing it slips to much for me.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Tie while you can because soon it's Flyfishing time! I can hardly wait. LOL!

 

[gfen]

NateFollmer wrote:
Any tips would be appreciated!

Seek help.

No, seriously. Find someone who ties, and let them guide you on it a bit.. It won't take much, but there's something really helpful about having someone walk you through rather than a book or video.

Center Valley LL Bean has a free class next week, lots of TU groups will do tying nights or classes. I presume Main Line Fly Tyers has something, too.. Not knowing where in the state you are, that's hte best choices.

On ribbing: Take your time, go slowly and deliberately. If you're using a rotary vise, don't. Just do it the "old fashioned" way 'til you get it right, then learn how to crank and move. Don't be afraid to back off and re-wrap it, you want it evenly spaced! Your normal ties should have five wraps (obviously, big ole streamers don't apply to this rule). You shall wrap to five, no more no less. Five shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the wrapping shalt be five. Six shalt not wrap, neither wrap four, excepting that thou then proced to five. Seven is right out. Once the wrap five, being the fifth wrap, be reached, tie off.

On hair: Meh, could be worse. More hair, more movement. I see no issue, except try cutting the end of the hair at a taper towards the eye of the hook, it'll tie down nicer then.

On crowding the eye: Yeah, dude, and bad. Whatever. We all do (you should see the junk I send to people in swaps!). Still functional, but it won't impress the dude streamside who eyeballs yoru fly. Do you care? You should. Appearances, man, very important. Gotta look fly, no pun intended. Lay down the thread base but leave an eye length or two completely untouched. Aim to keep materials off that bare hook, 'til you tie off and wrap the head. It'll still creep forward, but hopefully you'll keep an eye's width of open space to build the head.

That dog'll hunt just fine, the worst hurdle in that tie is the wire rib. Take your time on the next one, its way easier than any of the other problems if you watch.

 

[Fishidiot]

Nate,
That's a decent streamer - good job!

Regarding the issue of too much fur for the wing: I often encourage new fly tiers to throttle down on materials and try to keep their flies sparser. However, I think this is more important with small dries and nymphs rather than a big streamer. In the case of this particular fly, I think it will swim nicely in the water and that big clump of fur will stream back when wet and make for a nice underwater profile.

Sure, the head is crowded and rough. It won't make any difference to a fish. Sometimes when you're learning to tie flies, it's worth remembering that fish don't care about ribbing spacing or head neatness. At this point, I'd be more concerned with the head unraveling. Use head cement liberally.

Fly tying is an art form with its own aesthetic standards and notions of what constitutes excellence. Many if not most tiers don't really see themselves as artists and regard tying as more of a fly fishing endeavor (I do too) and never regard themselves as functioning artists. They can (and I think, should) change this attitude. Things like the perfection of ribbing or head neatness or the latest awe inspiring salmon fly or super realistic stonefly nymph really have little to do with fishing and are just extreme examples of this art form. How far you wish to expand tying from the production of purely functional fishing flies into the realm of artistic merit is entirely up to you.
Just understand that what many folks feel are qualities of a "good" fly are usually artistic/aesthetic rather than functional standards.

 

[NateFollmer]

Thank you, thank you! I was sick of tying the woolly buggers and other little nymphs that came in my kit (got that White River kit from BPS). Thought I'd flex my fly tying wings a little and just tie whatever came to me... Guess I should master the kit patterns before I go too wild Thanks for the tips everyone, I'll get more time after work tonight to tie some more. It's the only thing I can do now since all these streams are up and look like chocolate milk!

 

[gfen]

Patterns are for suckers, but good technique helps experimentation come together.

You also benefit from picking things up like a better use of the fur is UNDER the feather wings so the feathers provide a more lifelike pattern to the movement of the fur.

I think alot of people subscribe to lashing junk to a hook for a streamer, and not really paying attention to a particular recipe. This bodes true in most flies, I figure. Everyone does what they want, and it makes them happy, but knowing a full simple rules of design helps lend an air of not just uniformity, but... OK, an air of uniformity. But an important one, not a weasly one.

Breaking the mold becomes more productive once you understand the parts of the mold that are more than rigid design for design's sake.

In photography, they call it the rule of thirds. Your composition is typically better when you abide by it, putting subject or horizons, etc, in the appropriate location because the eye is drawn to it and it gives a strong visual impact. Fly tying has plenty of these same sorts of rules, too, but the ones that break from the rules sometimes become the exceptional example.

Oh, and my tip for eye fellow eye crowders? Keep a bit of that ribbing wire handy, and just push it through the hole, use a lighter to make the end red hot and then draw ti back through to melt back the materials from the hole. Works with thread, too, but cement it first and be ready to melt the knot just in case.

 

[NateFollmer]

Good advice gfen, thanks! I tried to put the feathers to the sides, I'll try putting them on top tonight when I take a second stab at this.

 

[gfen]

NateFollmer wrote:
Good advice gfen, thanks! I tried to put the feathers to the sides, I'll try putting them on top tonight when I take a second stab at this.

No, I mean tto the sides, but like outside the fur so they can lay flat over the fur when you admire your handy work in the vise, or when you pull it through the water they'll lay alongside the body and the fur, forming a nice fishy shillohette with appearances of body markings, and movement.

Streamers are fun to just tie junk to a hook on, because you just want it to look lively and tasty and fishy. You want to exude the illusion of movement (that nice fur'll do that), and then the feathers laid out over top help define a little bit of structure to the whole thing. They help give it fish form, while the fur helps give it life.

They're absolutely the most fun to experiment with because there's more latitude in them, and the possibilities are endless.

 

[NateFollmer]

Oh I see what you mean now. Yeah streamers look like they are going to be a lot of fun. Plus they are big and easy to tie haha. Although my smaller ties (16's) came out a lot nicer than my bigger ones. Maybe it's because I just can't see the errors! :hammer:

 

[sniperfreak223]

If you need more use for the fox tail, try the Foxxee Redd minnow, basically just a clouser with fox tail in place of bucktail. Very simple to tie, and an absolute killer on trout, bass and carp.

 

[NateFollmer]

Thanks for the tip! I did see others talking about that one. Haven't had a chance to tie since I don't know what's worse, not tying or not fishing....