Musky fly, What is your favorite fly to tie?

[mike_richardson]

After I got done tying up 2 dozen nymphs last night, I switched gears an decided to tie a musky fly. It was 1:25 am but I just had to get some musky fly time in. I watched a video on a facebook group that really helped out with my bucktail and getting it to flare. Now that I have that mechainics tip down I feel I will be able to tie a lot nicer flies.

I tie tons of nymphs every year but musky flies are by far my favorite flies to tie. Something about tying a 10-14" fly gets my blood going. I love that there are no real set rules on these flies. I have yet to catch one yet, but hoping maybe this year may be my year. I may schedule a guided trip to help in my quest.

I have a few sytles on my list to try. The next one will be some Carrie Stevens Classic streamer patterns. I am not man enough to try the classic salmon stuff just yet. Im hoping to tie some dries in the future, but just don't fish them enough to invest the money on materials just yet.

That being said what is your favorite type of fly to tie?

 

[Dave_W]

Not sure if I really have a favorite fly to tie as I tie a lot of different flies for different species, both fresh and salt. I suppose if I had to make a call on this, I'd vote for crab flies. I've spent a lot of time developing and refining crab flies. They're a lot of fun but a real challenge. Like many realistic specialty patterns, they look great in the vise but when you actually fish them, they're a mess: flipping upside down, spinning in the air when cast...all sorts of problems to solve.

Agree that musky flies are a fun too. I don't think there's a substitute for deer hair as the main ingredent in these flies, although I do like to use a lot of flashy tinsel and similar stuff. Bulky heads, such as the one in your example, are also a favorite of mine as they push water and help create that ideal side to side dodge that a great musky fly exhibits when stripped. Personally, I'm not a big fan of tying the deer hair "hollow" style but perhaps I'll change my mind on this as it does have a lot of fans and definitely produces a wide profile.