The bane of my fly tying existence

[sniperfreak223]

well, every one has the one technique that they hate...for me, it's spinning and clipping deer hair...I mean, look how terrible this Irresistible Wulff came out :-( So, time to fess up, folks what's the bane of your fly tying existence?

 

[McSneek]

Not the best picture but it looks like a pretty decent spun deer hair body to me. Maybe my own need improvement! Believe it or not, as fundamental as it is, I don't think I've ever really mastered a nice looking, proportional turkey feather wing case on my nymphs. I'm not good at throat hackle on smaller nymphs. Calf body hair wings or posts on dries - avoid at all costs. Usually wimp out and go with poly yarn. Give me some time and I'll come up with some others.

 

[quillfly]

hair wings on drys and spun hair clipped

 

[sandfly]

where the hair comes from on a deer has a big effect on how the fly turns out..

My nightmare is full dressed salmon flies, I do them but just don't look right all the time..

 

[sandfly]

where the hair comes from on a deer has a big effect on how the fly turns out..

My nightmare is full dressed salmon flies, I do them but just don't look right all the time..

 

[Flyfishmedic732]

HACKLE......Hackle eludes me and frustrates me more than anything, Second would be wings on wets...just cant seem to keep em in one piece...

 

[YoughnessMonster]

Spinning deer hair. Hackle, wing cases on nymphs. You know what fly tying in general is itself is my bane. But I love it

 

[miltiades]

I had issues with the wings on wets too. Now I coat them with head cement before I clip em off the feather and I tie a full loop of thread around them before tightening the thread. It helps, some still come out lookin crappy, but I dont care. I still fish em. I struggle a little with throat collars, just cant get my fingers in the right place to tie em down.

I used to struggle alot with the wings on elk hair caddis, too. Couldnt get them to flare without spinnin around the hook. I learned to tie a good base of thread around the shank before attaching the wing, it helps make the hair stick a little better.

 

[MKern]

I hate spinning hair too.

 

[FrequentTyer]

I hate tying anything with chenille. I know it should be just stupid easy, but it always looks bad to me. Other people can make it look good, but mine always look like pipe cleaners on a hook.
Sniper, have you tried trimming the deerhair with a razor blade instead of clipping it?

 

[evw659]

i have always had trouble with spinning deer hair. i also have trouble with wings on wets. my wets still work good, but they just dont look quite right to me.

 

[flipnfly]

i hate hackling flies like stimulators..... you know tie in up front palmer to the rear then hold down while counter wrapping wire ugh im sweatting just t yping this
also im pretty bad at ppaired wings on dries and wets unless its quick n easy style... like this

 

[flipnfly]

@sniper that doesnt look bad at all i have actually bought worse looking irresistables than that

 

[sniperfreak223]

flipnfly wrote:
@sniper that doesnt look bad at all i have actually bought worse looking irresistables than that

I know it's not that bad, but I have ridiculously high standards for my flies.

 

[Stogie26]

parachutes, just can never get them right no matter how basic

 

[willscreek]

I'm a harsh critic of my own stuff. My flies catch trout everywhere I go but I have always been harsh. I have to keep telling myself that as long as my flies catch fish, they're good enough but for whatever reason I feel I can tie them to a higher standard.

 

[dubthethorax]

Palmering hackle on size 18 and smaller dry flies. I am ALWAYS trapping hackle fibers and my dry flies always look like crap. I'm always tying with CDC or hair comparaduns to avoid using hackle.

 

[ryguyfi]

dubthethorax wrote:
Palmering hackle on size 18 and smaller dry flies. I am ALWAYS trapping hackle fibers and my dry flies always look like crap. I'm always tying with CDC or hair comparaduns to avoid using hackle.

my problem with that is I hate hackle pliers. Can't find a set I like. I typically just work the small hackle with my fingers and just keep one finger pressed up against the hackle and the hook while the other hand is wrapping. It usually takes me a few tries, but is very frustrating. Especially when you're wrapping small flies with neck hackle.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Ryan - Why not use the rotary feature of your vise? That's one application where having a true rotary vise is really helpful.

Hint - by twisting the feather to one side or the other as you wrap, you can control exactly where the fibers wind up. Having a nice flat thread base helps too.

You've got the perfect vise to do this with - why not take advantage of what it can do?

 

[ryguyfi]

I do use the rotary, but still can't hold onto the feather very well. A sz 22 hackle from a neck might be an inch at best. Tough to control a small feather like that.