how do you know

[Chetty82]

When you are tying flies now what references do use? Do you go to a book, a video /dvd, or is it just plain knowledge from the many years of doing it? Plus I am having conflicts with the pheasant tail and the hares ear on the way they are tied.

 

[RLeeP]

I started out with books and when I feel I need to learn a new technique or pattern, it is usually still the written/illustrated word I rely upon, whether printed from a web site or taken from a book.

I've never learned a thing from a tying video or DVD, although I'm sure lots of folks have/do. This may be partially a generational thing. I just don't use videos for this sort of thing. I like having a book in my lap so I can occasionally dump the cuttings out of the binding onto the floor. You can't do that with a DVD player..

So far as "knowledge from many years of doing it", that's part of it too. But perhaps in a different way than you might think. There are a finite number of techniques that can go into tying a fly and once you have a fair command of any one of them, you'll be able to use that one to tie new patterns regardless of their material composition. For example, there is a way to tie in a down wing on a fly and with minor variations, it is the same whether you are making an elk hair caddis, a Coachman wet or a marabou wing for a streamer. And whether the wing is made from bleached zebra hair, saran wrap or plain old bucktail or elk hair, the technique is pretty much the same.

And so forth...

Eventually (and sooner than you might think) you find that 90%-plus of what you tie, you just tie. Without any book or DVD or any of the rest. It's already all between your ears.

If you're a new tier, learn your basic techniques well. Tying in a wing, dubbing, finishing a head, ribbing and all the rest. One you learn one, you'll always have it and each has a multiplicity of applications for hundreds of patterns.

That's the best advice and the best answer I can make to your question..

 

[ryguyfi]

I just started fly fishing 3 years ago, and tying 2... and am 26 so I know where you're coming from.

For tying I got a generic kit from Cabela's and tied the few patterns they had in there. This site is great for helping out, but also try out video's on YouTube and search the internet for "hares ear pattern" or what not.

I hate to say it, but almost every fly is "generally" the same in tying technique. There are a few advanced techniques out there, but once you can tie some generic flies, you can tie just about anything.

Practice your hares ear... they're easy and they catch fish... plus you can tie them in any color underneath the sun

Here's my recipes for Hares ear and pheasant tail



Take your hook sz 12-20
put bead on if desired
and lead wraps if desired
both optional

Hares Ear

place hook in vise by the bottom of the bend
start thread by wrapping towards the eye, and then overtop of it back towards the bend of the hook... thread should stay in place. (didn't understand this in the beginning)

Take a feather and use a small bunch of the fibers and tie it in as a tail. make a few thread wraps over top to keep in place.

next tie in your wire ribbing and keep it pointed back towards the tail.

Next take your dubbing and twist it over your thread all in the same direction. It should just barely cover the thread, not be in big clumps.

wrap it around the hook until you have 1/3 of the hook showing.

wrap your wire to that point, tie it off, and cut off the excess.

Tie in a few pheasant tail fibres.

Dub the last 1/3 leaving a little bit of room.

Pull the pheasant tail over the top and tie it off. you can spread it to the bottom or sides if preferred.

Tie a few generic (half hitch) knots and put some finishing cement on the knot.




Pheasant tail.


take a few pheasant tail fibres and tie in the tips for the tail. do not cut it off.

you can tie in wire too if wanted.

wrap your thread forward to 1/3 from the front

take the pheasant tail and wrap it to your thread and tie it off.

Tie in a few peacock fibres.

also tie in pheasant tail fibres to make wing casing like hares ear.

wrap thread forward to a little bit behind the eye and tie off.

pull pheasant tail over peacock to make case, tie off, and cement.




that is as detailed as I can get on tying those two patterns. very basic and catch fish.


good luck!


Ryan

 

[Padraic]

If you want some good step by step instruction on some basic flies, check out this website
http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/

Two disclaimers; first, the site is a commercial site. Still the tutorials themselves are free. So don't feel pressured to buy anything you don't want. Second, my flies don't look anywhere NEAR as nice as those! ;-)

 

[gfen]

My local LL Bean offered a 5 month free course on fly tying. I'm really, very grateful to them for providing this resource, because it helped me get a grasp not only on tying basics, but a feel for what to start using.

I combine that with Westfly.com, www.charliesflyboxinc.com, and web searches for trying to hone in on variations of patterns, ones better suited to my materials, or that just seem ideal.

That, combined with youtube video demos, my notes and patterns from class all go along way.

I never bought a book, but I meant to.

 

[Chetty82]

See when tied the pheasant tail and the hares ear there were no like legs persay on the sides. The basic kit I bought at walmart explained that the hares ear was dubbing for the body and the bulk part of the fly, copper wire for the ribbing, the pheasant tail for the tail, and the peacock herl for over the bulky part of the fly.


As for the pheasant tail the tail was brown saddle hackle, the longer part of the shank was peacock herl, the copper wire for the ribbing, brown rabbit fur dubbing for the body, and more peacock herl for for over top the body.

The other two ways I seen it done on you tube was with like legs of to either side with the same material ts the tail. Is either way effective without the leg look?

 

[Chetty82]

here the two i tied the top one is the pheasant tial and the bottom i tied some years ago when i first got the kit it is the hares ear

 

[tomgamber]

here is a video on tying a pheasant tail...when watching these videos, take not of the shape of each part and proportions. My opinion is that there are really only so many flies. You just end up changing the color and size a lot.

http://www.theanglersnet.com/Fly-Tying-Videos/play_video.asp?section=6&VID=50

go to the archive and you can probably find almost any useful fly. I like the music too.

 

[Fishidiot]

Chetty,
Your flies look good and will certainly catch fish. You've definitely got the hang of it. Keep in mind that, with nymphs like the Pheasant Tail (often abbreviated as "PT") and Hare's Ear, the exact shape and proportion need not be exact. When you start tying drys these aspects become more important. To your flies credit, they are pretty slim. A common mistake made by new tyers is to tie in too much material which results in very bulky flies. Sparse flies tied with less material are usually better. Keep up the good work.

 

[gfen]

The hare's ear, as I leanred it, looks pretty much as a ringer for what you've got there. Like you, my wing case on the back never seems as wide as it should be. Whereas it should be the width of the back, its always sort of a stripe. -shrug-

You could easily dress it up by giving it a beard of some soft hackle fibres underneath, that would help give it the impression of legs but I don't think its an essential for the pattern. Again, the ones I buy never have it.

THe pheasant tail, on the other hand, differs from the pattern I was taught. The thorax would be peacock herl, and the wingcase formed from 4-6 pheasant tail fibers, which then get pushed back from the head and out to the sides to form legs.

Like this image I stole from the web:

 

[Chetty82]

This fly I purchased several years ago and the next fly is what I tied today and they are both considered pheasant tail nymphs. Is either one more effective than the other one or is it just on how the presentation is.

 

[tomgamber]

In my opinion the bottom one looks more like the natural...Good presentation could help both be more successful. But there are no certainties. This is fishing.

 

[gfen]

There's a natural, draw your own conclusions...I think its pretty clear which one.

Looks good, wish I could get my PTs to look that good.

 

[Chetty82]

this a correction from earlier the 2 pheasant tail nymphs the top one i tied the second one i bought several years ago

 

[afishinado]

Chetty,

A lot of good advice from the board. Bookmark some of the links given to you. Here a link to a great site for beginning fly tying with tutorials on the basics and some common patterns to tie. Keep trying and keep tying.......it will come. Good luck.

http://derekspace.net/

 

[stonefly101]

Try this: http://www.amatobooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AmatobooksCom&Product_Code=1878175696&Category_Code=Fly_Tying_Fly_Hatches_Fly_Selection

or this: http://flycraft.com/PTinfo.htm

 

[OldLefty]

gfen: did you take the photo of the nymph? I've been photographing bugs and have no idea how to get them out of photoshop and into here.

What critter is that?

Dave R.

 

[GrantC]

The best thing any beginner can do is in-person instruction. I started with a class taught by an expert and friend. The class gave me the basics, then I spent some time hanging out at a fly shop and local TU to learn more tips. The shop had open tying on wed (maybe tuesday--this was years and years ago) where anyone who showed up shared a table to tie together. Tying with other people is the best way to correct your mistakes and learn new tricks. Ask at your local TU and fly shops about classes or just ask some fishing buddies. Most people would be happy to share an evening tying if it comes with a few beers.

Many fly shop owners, if they're not too busy, would be happy to tie a PT in front of you (helps if you get your supplies there).

I also have about 50 books on tying and bugs. One excellent bug book is Mayflies (Knopp and Cormier) and a good pattern reference is Fly Patterns of the Umqua Feather Merchants (Kaufmann). Also, A.K.'s Fly Box (AK Best).

 

[Chetty82]

Well unfortunately I cant get my tail to splay like I se in videos I try everything and cant seem to get it to splay at all.

 

[Stevie-B]

Chetty,

Here's a tip for you: don't trim the tag end of your thread after you first tie on. Let it hang off the bend of the hook. After you tie the tail in and before you dubb the body, pull the tag end through the middle of the tail and it will splay. Once you get the right amount, just tie it off, trim and continue with the rest of the fly.