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My first fly
Published by delopez
12-24-2012 |
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By
bigjim5589
on
12-24-2012, 12:51 PM
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Re: My first fly
Not too bad for the first! The fish won't care about the looks, so it will catch some fish. A few suggestions. The hook looks a bit small for the fly. Perhaps a size or 2 larger for the same size fly would work better. Proportions on flies, particularly on streamers, are more important than actual appearance, because the proportions are what give the fly balance.
Looks like you're using neck hackles. Try to match the hackles so that the tips are all even. Again, the fish don't care, but with thinly webbed hackle, you'll get a better profile when they're all matched. The next thing would be to use hackles that are more webby. I prefer to use strung neck hackle for Deceivers, and those with plenty of web provide the best "density". Unfortunately, what is in a package of hackle will not always be all the best, so mixing them, thinner & webbier together will usually give the best results & still allow the use of most in a pack. If you use strung saddle hackles, that might have more web to them & lots of "fluff", that will add additional substance & the matching is less of an issue. I use them when I want a thinner profile. What you used will work fine. These are just things I've learned that make better use of the hackle you have. The blue bucktail you used looks a bit too stiff for the fly. May just be the picture. Although it's not always easy to do, try to use finer textured hair, which will often be the hair closet to the tip end of a bucktail. The base hair is certainly usable, but it's often better for bigger flies. I save the base hair when tying flies to be used on big saltwater jigs, because it does flare more & is often longer. I tie jigs up to about 8 oz in weight. So the smaller the fly size, the finer the hair. Personally, I prefer to select tails that have finer hair anyway for flies as the finer hair will flare less when tying & have more action in the water. The head on your fly only needs a bit of refinement, which will come with more experience. Proportion wise you did a good job. Hope this helps!  |
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By
delopez
on
12-24-2012, 02:14 PM
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 First half n half ---------- Post added at 02:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ----------  First double deceiver. This is fun ---------- Post added at 02:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:09 PM ---------- And bigjim, these are tied on a 2/0 eagle claw auberdeen. They don't have quite the gap. I put the fly under some water and it looks like this:  I thought it looked a little big for the hook, too. But it looks fine, now. |
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By
bigjim5589
on
12-24-2012, 02:24 PM
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Re: My first fly
You're right! It does look fine! 2/0 is a good size. Sometimes pictures don't show things accurately due to angles.
It's fun & addicting!  Keep tying & posting the pic's! They'll catch some fish for sure & the more you tie the better they'll get!  What part of the world will you be using them? |
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By
Diver Dan
on
12-24-2012, 03:17 PM
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Re: My first fly
Great start. I love the blue/white theme you have going. Your heads look great for first flies. Really great. I use blue/white Clousers more than anything. If I can give you a tip though. To keep the materials from working loose and the fly falling apart, put a clump of what you are using on and get a couple of turns of thread to hold it in place. Cut the tag end off at an angle leaning back at the tail. Put a bit of head cement in the ends of the material and start doing wraps just shy of thread breaking hard. I use white 140 ultra thread and it becomes pretty transparent when you do this so the head ends up the color of the fly. In the case of yours, blue on top and white on the bottom. The best part of it is that it glues all the fibers in so when a tooth gets in the fly it does not pull hair out of the head. When hair gets pulled out of them they are dead within minutes.
Your photo where you held it in the water is another good trick. If you get a fly that 'puffs' up more than is good, run it in as hot water as your fingers can stand. Place it on a paper towel or washcloth and fold it over. Place a weight on it to keep it in place till it dries. It will stay that way even after use. Your flies are really looking great especially for the first ones you have done. |
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