Fly Tying Course

[TOFishingNoob]

Wow! Those are awesome flies Old Timer and MuskieBait! I wish I could tie something like that. The skill you guys have is incredible.

[MichaelAngelo]

Reviving this thread because I have a question about fly tying...

How does one get a streamer to swim right side up? I've tied a few marabou streamers and they swim wonky, on their side. I guess it's in the symmetry of the fly? I've thought about adding weight to the bottom of the hook to prop them upright in the water.

Either way, crappie loved them today






Still, I would like to tie them such that they swim true.

[MuskieBait]

Probably symmetry...adding small bead chain eyes may help with that...plus keeping your hook riding up so you snag weeds less often...thus not KO'ing my baby on a lilypad...

[MichaelAngelo]

(06-17-2013 07:25 PM)MuskieBait Wrote:  Probably symmetry...adding small bead chain eyes may help with that...plus keeping your hook riding up so you snag weeds less often...thus not KO'ing my baby on a lilypad...

I was running double mono loop weedguards right through the pads. Last night I was tying some new flies and thought I'd "get away" with a single loop... boy oh boy. I also thought I'd "get away" with shaking the fly free .

I will try the bead chain eyes, the added weight would help (I've just begun tying so I'm not sure how many wire wraps suffice to weight the hook). Too little wraps and the fly barely sinks, and too many wraps and I can't cast it easily... a fine balance! Any tips about this aspect of fly creation? There are so many factors, as different materials absorb different amounts of water and alter the casting load (deer hair vs. marabou for example).

Now, how do bead chain eyes compare to dumbbell eyes.

[MuskieBait]

(06-17-2013 07:49 PM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  

(06-17-2013 07:25 PM)MuskieBait Wrote:  Probably symmetry...adding small bead chain eyes may help with that...plus keeping your hook riding up so you snag weeds less often...thus not KO'ing my baby on a lilypad...

I was running double mono loop weedguards right through the pads. Last night I was tying some new flies and thought I'd "get away" with a single loop... boy oh boy. I also thought I'd "get away" with shaking the fly free .

I will try the bead chain eyes, the added weight would help (I've just begun tying so I'm not sure how many wire wraps suffice to weight the hook). Too little wraps and the fly barely sinks, and too many wraps and I can't cast it easily... a fine balance! Any tips about this aspect of fly creation? There are so many factors, as different materials absorb different amounts of water and alter the casting load (deer hair vs. marabou for example).

Now, how do bead chain eyes compare to dumbbell eyes.

Wait until the weekend of Eli's visit, and I'll give you a one-on-one tutorial in person. I can show you how to tie a few flies from parachute patters to streamers.

[OldTimer]

What kind of wire are you using for weighting wraps?............. best is the lead core scavenged from used vintage lead lined braided trolling line.

Hook gap can also influence upright tracking ability, as can hook eye orientation and if offset or not and its direction.

Buoyancy can be greatly affected by % of hollow quill tied in to shank.

Putting on heavy body finish varnish coats will help with "sink-age" as well.

OT

[onwind]

Today tied a clouser minnow, cannot wait for trying it on crappie and bass.