nimrod wrote:
I'm getting back into fly tying after a loooooong hiatus save for tying al's rats, RS2s, green weenies and san juan worms - you know, the tough patterns. I tied many others many years ago and looking at them now they look pretty pathetic but remarkably caught fish. I bit the bullet and just upgraded my $12 Cabela's vise to a Anvil Apex.
Question 1 - Any opinions if Fly Tyer magazine is worth a subscription?
There'll be more I'm sure. In the meantime if you all want to send me a dozen or so of your faorite tied flies so I can see if I'm doing it right I'd appreciate it. ;-)
I am a newbie (two years) still have the cheapo vice but it works. I use several patterns that work the best. I do try a few new patterns every year with limited sucess. If ya like dry fly fishing I don't know much more than standard stuff.
Due to huge amounts of info on the web if your pinched for money I would not invest in mags. Youtube has lots not to mention here. My staples are as follows for drys.
Davie Macphil's double humpy size 14
Adams parachute 18-12
Quill body fly.16-12
Caddiss elkhair/cdc.18-10 (smb on small creeks like the #10)
Don't forget simulators from size 16 - 6.
Nymphs:
Dark sizes 16-12 Pheasant tail mostly. I like lead on them .
various soft hackles size 18-10 for some with weight some with out.
Off yellow nymph size 16-12 with weight.
Caddis pupa tied in bright green, olive green, off white and tan with weight. This is my "go to" fly when the trout are on the bottom.
Various emergers fished just under the surface film. size16-10 on curved emerger hook.
Last and not least. Various streamers in size 10-6 tied on long streamer hooks some lightly weighted some heavy weighted in olive, light olive, brown, tan. These are tied with marabou and woodchuck tail (I get the woodchuck tail from ones I shoot over the summer.) DO NOT use down eye hooks for streamers they float upside down. I do epoxy the heads and add eyes as when the water is a little lower the fish hit on them a little better.
For dredging the bottom an olive, brown, wolly bugger with lots of weight. I use the wb to get the big brownies from log jams works great. All of my patterns use flash sparingly for the most part. I stick to natural color patterns for the most part. Don't forget a simple marabou muddler pattern. these are deadly for smb and trout. I do have a couple of articulated muddlers for smb that I think will work good. That, for the most part, sums it up. I am not much of a dry fly guy. I have a box full of drys but I catch 60 percent of my trout on streamers and the other 35 percent on nymphs. The last 5 percent on drys. I could post some picts if ya like sometime.
Go to youtube and type in Davie Macphil fly tying.
Greg
