Custom Baits - Forum
Fly Tying => Fly Tying => Topic started by: Paneltruck.lures on 01/04/18 21:13 UTC
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The fly tying tools and materials arrived today. I tied 1 it’s in the scrap heap somewhere. You guys said I didn’t need to have coordination for this. LOL
Austin tied the 2 pictured here they don’t look half bad. We will both keep practicing I’m sure as soon as I work out the frustrations of being new at this it will be relaxing and enjoyable. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180105/a67efc546337d267fd3d8e194d9c6445.jpg)
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Look good for a first try.
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I too, threw my first flies away and later regretted it. I also wished I would have kept the first fly that I tied that was successful at catching a fish. It would have made a nice display and brought back some nice memories. Keep that in mind and oh yeah, those will catch some fish.
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Olsarge’s words got to me so I went and asked Austin where he put my fly I unearthed it from the boys room. I don’t guess it looks horrible I doubt it’s tied well enough to hold up for fishing use but it can be displayed. It was a struggle to hold materials or even attempt to like I did with unsuccessful application of copper wire. As in time I guess. The struggle makes the victory that much sweeter.
My wife was teasing me saying I’m not enough of a science nerd to be tying flys. I need to know bug anatomy to tie flys. She is on the couch tonight BTW
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180105/e063bd032cdcc3979044ac133b50a26f.jpg)
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PTL CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU CATCH ON THEM!!!
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One thing I like to do is go to youtube and pull up a pattern and watch it all the way through. Then I will get my stuff ready to tie. I will play the video and stop it after each step and tie that step. Now I can compare my fly to his as you go step by step. Also there are videos for beginners on simple patterns Also The fly you tied will catch fish!
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Nobody ever turned out beautiful flies the first time they sat at the vice. It takes patience, practice and perserverance.
It also doesnt hurt to have some instruction of technique. Lots of times local Trout Unlimited chapters have get togethers for members, where people get together and tie flies. You might check with your local chapter.
Also pick up a couple of good tying referrences. I am very fond of a well worn and much loved copy of "Trout Flies" by Dave Hughes.
Finally... Go find some bluegills and chuck that fly at them. After they've chewed it up and you've convinced yourself that it does indeed catch fish, go back to tying and after you've tied a couple thousand you'll see that it's not as insurmountable a task as you initially thought.
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That’s a great idea with the videos Gary I will try that out
RK- very true words about nobody making a masterpiece the first time they ever did anything including tying flys. You just have to understand how hard I am on my self with things in life. Also after I trimmed some things up on the fly after I took this picture it didn’t look half bad. I will check into the trout flys book. We a have a great creek with blue gills in it less than a mile from the house. I love to fish that creek for gills. They love bright colors there I may need to pick up some bright materials for them.
Has anybody ever bought materials from Fly Tyers Dungeon or Post Fly Box? Prices look good for the amount of materials you get. Or so it seems to the new guy I’m just worried about the quality of materials.
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Fly Tyers Dungeon is top notch. He makes all his own products and I have bought from him several times.
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I have purchased stuff from FTD before, always good results. My favorite site was feather-craft.com. You won't go wrong at either place.
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Like I mentioned before...trial and error...errors usually work. Besides, they are only errors if you tell someone that they are.
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Like I mentioned before...trial and error...errors usually work. Besides, they are only errors if you tell someone that they are.
Those are happy accidents I tied into that fly
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Those are happy accidents I tied into that fly
LOL.....I tried to see how ugly I could make it to see if a fish would still hit it. Guess what, never too ugly.
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Back at the vice tonight after I watched a handful of YouTube videos this evening. Much better I’m happier with this result. I’d like to say I suck at dubbing but you guys have taught me “the fish don’t know any better” I used to say we ain’t goin to the AMA bike show at Sturgis when doing a cheap motorcycle paint job. I may have to start saying we ain’t goin to the AMA fly show at Sturgis!
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180107/3b010114242dd23abe550193e88b6fab.jpg)
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Austin just helped my daughter with this little fly. They did a great job, Austin is really getting the hang of this quickly.
. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180107/6681d2f9459ac85c477f0807e392f7be.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180107/081c9dee7a1709c370127970534b6bc1.jpg)
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That is inspiring. Enthusiasm creates some great products. Give yourselves a hand. Good Work.
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One little trick that will help your dubbing. Wet your fingers slightly before adding dubbing to your thread add a very small amount of dubbing and twist in one direction only then wind on the hook shank adding more dubbing as you go you can wrap multiple wraps in the same spot as you near the head where the body of an insect naturally widens. When you are done if the fly is wrapped to tight or appears to small at the head simply pick it out with your bodkin. Hope that makes sense to you.
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Yes, olsarge I believe that clicks now to see if I remember when I sit down with the dubbing again. What are your thoughts on the dubbing brush I see people on YouTube using?
It’s also nice to be able to make something to attract fish in the house.
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Dubbing brushes are fine but not really necessary. I have used them and liked them but I found myself doing it a little differently when I felt like I needed one. I would spin the first layer of dubbing on the thread tightly as I mentioned then add more dubbing just so it hangs off of the already spun on dubbing (very sparse) so it appears like a dubbing brush. There are a lot of techniques (like splitting the thread etc, but these are fairly advanced and you will pick up on them as you advance. I found it a whole lot easier for me when I first started to pick out a series of say four flies that I thought I would use the most and tie them repetitively until I was satisfied that I tied them properly. This way I learned as I tied and I didn't have to buy any special tools or materials until I was ready for them. Foam flies, my god I used the crap out of those things (still do). Easy and fun to tie and the bluegill and bass will make you giggle everytime they hit
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Easy and fun to tie and the bluegill and bass will make you giggle everytime they hit
That is very true olsagre :D!
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I was planning on avoiding the foam for a very long time but now that you say blue gills. Yeah I’m on it now.
I was seriously going to get some bright materials to tie up for the gills. They love anything chartreuse I put in front of them. I have given thought to some bright colored zebra midges. Easy pattern for me to hone my skills on it also looks cool to me. Thought I’d try some bright ones for experimentation on the little guys.
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PTL, If you want to make foam poppers for bass or bluegills take a look at this;
http://www.sleazysteves.com/products/brass-cutters/
I knew Steve before he passed. He was a brilliant fly tyer and a great guy in general. His cutter and his foam are still the best available anywhere and will allow you to make much better poppers than you can buy anywhere. He special ordered his foam from Korea I believe and it is far superior to anything else I've found.
His wife still manages the products.
He and his products were featured in fly Tyer magazine a few years back. I just finished up some poppers using these products. I'll post some pics on another thread.
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Thank you for the link those are come cool products. I’ll check into those more when I get to that level of tying but how can you not want to do business with a place called sleazy Steve’s soggy bottom fly shop? I have spent today watching videos on crappie jigs. I may give those a shot in the near future.
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My daughter who just turned 8 tied this up this evening. Austin guided her and did the whip finish but other than that it was all her. This is the 3rd one she has ever tied. I’m impressed with what she did, she is doing better than me.
. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180112/c3369726c056898cf570be4cbfde7d80.jpg)
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Wait until they catch some fish on their flies. You guys will be fighting over who gets to use the vise next! It's fun to tie up trout flies and bluegill and crappie will also hit them.
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This is what its about really. Look at the intense focus. Hook him on stuff like this and you'll never have to worry about him hooked on other less desirable stuff.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180107/081c9dee7a1709c370127970534b6bc1.jpg)
Now about throwing what you might think is a bad tie......Years ago I tied up a 1/4 ounce bucktail using bright red and bright green deer hair. Talk about ugly. I somehow managed to stick it in the boat box and it went to the Mississippi one winter day. We sat in the boat for several hours that trip and caught many nice sauger and some so-so walleyes when my buddy asked if he could tie that ugly thing on and I told him to have at it. Within two minutes of dropping that thing over the side of the boat he was firmly hooked up on what turned out to be very decent walleye of 29". After measuring and admiring a while the fish went back in the river and went about our fishing some more. He never got another fish on that ugly jig but had he not tied it on in the first place I am convinced that he would not have caught that fish. I think God was teaching me a lesson. lol
Keep those kids anchored to that vise in the winter! I started my tackle making adventure in life at around 12 years old tying flies. They looked like the wreck of the Hesperus but they caught fish and made me do nothing but want to get better at it. That was 55 years ago.