Your proudest fly tying moment

s fontinalis

s fontinalis

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We all talk or like to mention the fish we catch, the reels and rods we use, the flies we tie and the multitude of other fishing related lies we like to tell each
other. But rarely do we hear much of the moments that make you clench the fist and say ''YES'' under your breath, while your seated quietly at your bench sipping a beer and generally keeping out of trouble or housework!

I guess for newer tiers it mastering a technique, finally getting the head on the fly right or getting 20 flies knocked out in one go without interruption.

I'd like to hear how everyone fairs with the little 'Yes' moment, if you'd all like to share. Photos optional. Even the 'experienced tyers among us (I like to think i'm experienced, since i started about 20 years ago, but to a 'career break' for 12 years) have the yes moment and tonight it happened for me.

So i guess I'll start!

For the last 6 weeks or so i've been tying classic wet flies, pretty religiously every night. Many of you have seen the flies i've tied as i've posted them in other threads, but tonight I guess it all came together (except on little mishap i noticed on another part of the fly)

The victory ????

A Horizontal Wing

Don Bastian's Original Olive Trout Fin



If you noticed (or not) all the other wet flies i've tied have had up-pointing wings!
I love the horizontal lie.
Thats me.

Who's next?
 
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kelkay

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I can see why you would be proud of that fly, it is beautiful. I love the colors, and you did a terrific job on it. My best tying moment was when I did these Gray Ghosts.


 
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rangerrich99

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Wow, you guys can really tie. I was going to say my proudest moment was when I figured out how to use the whip finish tool that came with my first tying kit.

Slightly more seriously, it has to be when I figured out how to tie a stimulator with rubber legs and make it look almost professional. I'll try to post a pic later.

Peace.
 
futuramille

futuramille

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Displayed above are some truly beautiful pieces of art! I've been an artist all my life, both fine art and music, I started private lessons in 5th grade and continued them all the way through a BA in Fine Art, minoring in Music (piano). Unfortunately, I'm in the group of artists that never have a "yes" moment. Any piece is never done for me, I just stop working it and simply sign it and turn out the lights.

Fly tying for me started in the early 90's with bass bugs in Florida and I'd have to say that my first real hurtle in tying was spinning deer hair and getting color transitions that had constant width all the way around the fly.

these days, I'm always pleased at myself when I tie a fly that I make up instead of copying a pattern, go fish it and get takes when its in with the proven standards....a cast of three flies.

We each have our victories, be them long term goals or short and sharp attempts at victory. Some of us need these to keep us going but I'm of the breed that once mastered, I'm done, my focus goes elsewhere. Lucky for me, painting, playing an instrument and fly tying/fishing will never be something I master though I will die of old age still trying.
 
s fontinalis

s fontinalis

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Mastering is the end....I always feel there is something to improve, be it a wing, body, tip of a fly, or moving on to a more complex pattern. I started this project aiming to tie the Jock Scott, which I did, BADLY. Stepping back to the easier flies has afforded me the opportunity to work toward that goal again, rather than jump in at the deep end. Overconfidence was my downfall. If i've learned anything the last few weeks, it that time is on your side in terms of getting better. Slow and steady wins the race, or at least helps in improvements that are visible and tangible. Nothing will be perfect, but in the end its fun challenging yourself to push the limits
 
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stl_geoff

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Those are some good looking flies. I might have to try doing something like that one of these days.

I dont know what my proudest moment has been, im sure it was something back when I first started but that was so long ago I dont even remember.
 
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kelkay

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s fontinalis said:
Kelly, Are those 10xl or 8xl hooks?
I'm looking for some streamer hooks and having never tied on them i'm kinda in the dark as to which to get.
Click to expand...
10x hooks! :)

---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 AM ----------
rangerrich99 said:
Wow, you guys can really tie. I was going to say my proudest moment was when I figured out how to use the whip finish tool that came with my first tying kit.

Slightly more seriously, it has to be when I figured out how to tie a stimulator with rubber legs and make it look almost professional. I'll try to post a pic later.

Peace.
Click to expand...
That put a smile on my face....I just learned not that long ago how to use a whip finisher. I am still not great at it. I hand whip finished 100% of the time until recently. I just could not figure out that simple, maddening, little tool. :D
 
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stimmy7

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As a teen, my best friend and I used to fish a special river every summer- my family for go on vacation for 2 weeks, then his and we'd have a couple of days overlap... and he and I would get 4 solid weeks on the water.

We started a personal "One Fly" competition and would flip a coin to determine who went upstream and who went downstream, and we'd fish until we lost the fly or for a set period of time, then compare our catches (C&R after 10 trout, honor system).

The second year into this, we decided to create our own pattern, and fish only that fly. That year, my fly out caught his in number and size and all of my fish were natives, namely German Browns. The next day, we mixed it up- he gave me his fly, I gave him mine... and the results were the same.

So yeah, for me? It was the time a fly I created caught the most fish in a "One Fly" two consecutive days in use by two different fishermen. :teef:
 
jpbfly

jpbfly

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Eunan and Kelly you have good reasons to be proud of such beautiful flies:worthy:As for me I'm proud of some patterns I created because they catch fish:)
 
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kelkay

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jpbfly said:
Eunan and Kelly you have good reasons to be proud of such beautiful flies:worthy:As for me I'm proud of some patterns I created because they catch fish:)
Click to expand...
Well thank you. I want to see a couple of those "bad boys"!! :)
 
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kelkay

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Weird, it worked that time. That is a great little pattern. Looks like a supreme fish getter to me! :) Loved the sbs too.
 
jaybo41

jaybo41

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madjoni said:
My proudest fly tying moment was when I got first trout on my own fly
Click to expand...
I was thinking pretty similar to you were when I read the title except that I was going to say when my bud landed fish on flies that I'd tied and given him. That's still pretty rewarding, especially when you work on a new pattern or one that you tweak.

At the bench, I suppose I'd have to say my proudest moment has been seeing the quality of my ties improve over the years. Then there's waking up the next day after tying a mess of flies and having that "wow" moment when you look at the previous nights work.

Great looking ties s fontinalis and kelkay, those are beautifully done and almost look too good to fish!
 
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