Tell me what you guys think..

[djamtime]

I am a new fly tier and I was hoping you guys would check out some of my spring nymphs and tell me what you think. Critique and advice would be greatly appreciated (especially on proportions because my entomology background is limited). Thanks!

My Brassie

I call this the Deep Prince. Tungsten bead with multi-colored wire.

I call this one Copper Johnson. I thought a sexy pattern deserved a sexy name.

This one is my rendition of Lance Egan's Rainbow Warrior. My supplies are not too extensive so I had to fudge it a little.

 

[thorsten]

Hello Brassie,

Your nymphs are GREAT and there is nothing to complaint :clap::thmbup: I am pretty sure that they will bring you some real nice fishes :fishing:

 

[troutnut4]

Barb-less hooks I hope.:thmbup: I like the looks. Nice.

 

[williamhj]

Wow, very nice! Impressive especially if you're just starting out. I'm sure there are little things you could change to perfectly match patterns, but those look good and will catch fish!

 

[comeonavs]

Nice work!

You are off to a great start and those will catch you some fish for sure. I have found in the wire wrapped flies for the two tone ones they wrap tightly more easily than the single strand like your brassie there.

Best tip I read was Charlie Cravens , after your first wrap of wire is complete , hold tension on the wire back towards the curved part of the hook as you wrap forward. This really helped me get tighter wraps on copper johns and brassies. Holding tension back like that while leveraging a rotary vise really helps.


Hope you don't mind but I'm gonna borrow your copper johnson and deep prince patterns. I tie that deep prince in a red/yellow combo but I like yours a lot :wavetowel

 

[jaybo41]

Improvisation is what makes a good fly tier even better. When you are starting out unless you drop a lot of coin you aren't going to have everything on hand. Over time you'll build your material selection. Beyond the basic materials that can be used on countless patterns as you tie a new to you pattern buy the materials as you need them.

Your flies look great, especially for being a new tier! Copper Johns are more of an intermediate-advanced pattern in my opinion. Same can be said for the Prince. There's a lot going on with materials in all of your patterns. I have no doubt they will all catch fish, you should be very pleased with the outcome.

A few things stick out that I would work on if I had tied those flies. The wraps of wire should be tighter as you did in the Deep Prince. I can see gaps in the Copper Johnson and Brassie. Dubbing that ice material can be tough, it doesn't always hold on the thread. Less is more with dubbing. You can always add more to it if needed. I would suggest tighter wraps on the dubbing.

Hand in hand with the dubbing is thread control. That will come in time, but when I started, and even sometimes now, I tend to add too much thread or material and find myself thinking about this constantly 2-4 wraps of dubbing, hackle is a good rule though not one set in stone. Same 2-4 wraps to lock in materials. Over the past couple of years I've really broken myself of this bad habit and am starting to do it more without thinking about it.

The hackle looks a little long on the Prince but that could be a byproduct of using what you have on hand.

Again, really really nice work on these, please keep tying and posting. There are many excellent tiers on the forum who are willing to help. I constantly find myself learning and being inspired by other tiers here.

 

[djamtime]

Wow, thank you everybody for such kind remarks! That is a real confidence booster! It is difficult building confidence on patterns when the fishing slows down like it does in the northeast US. I can't wait for spring Comonavs, thank you for your advice. I had noticed the wire being bulkier at the bend of the hook and hopefully that will be a solution. Also I do not mind if anyone borrows or duplicates these patterns. Best wishes and lots of fishes!

---------- Post added at 10:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------

Jaybo, thank you also.. That was exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. I am cursed with being a perfectionist also, and like to hear what little things I can do to make a good thing better. It is kind of funny that I can notice more in the pictures than I can on the vise.. Maybe time for some glasses But I appreciate your input!

 

[mista_bob]

I'm really liking the Copper Johnson! Those will all catch some fish for sure.

 

[jaybo41]

Glad to hear the comments were well received dj. :thumbsup:

I forgot one more piece of advice that I always suggest. When you sit down and work on a pattern, tie a dozen of them. By doing that, you can really work on your skills for that pattern. The cool things are that by doing so, you can watch your progress. Those skills/tricks you learn can also be applied to other patterns.

When I tie a dozen of a new to me fly by the 3rd, give or take, I've got it right where I want to be.

We've got a really cool thread that you should look over and post to. Can't tell you how many ideas I've got from other members in this thread.

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/f...ons/90263-what-have-you-been-tying-today.html

 

[Jackster]

Looking at those ties makes me want to toss my vises and take up macrame or something. Maybe paint by numbers?
If I was anythhing near as good as you starting out I would probably be writing fly tying books by now.
Fine jobs and you are off to an excellent start for sure. You have good technique and a good eye for art. Wow.

 

[wt bash]

You're there man!

 

[comeonavs]

Looking at those ties makes me want to toss my vises and take up macrame or something. Maybe paint by numbers?
If I was anythhing near as good as you starting out I would probably be writing fly tying books by now.
Fine jobs and you are off to an excellent start for sure. You have good technique and a good eye for art. Wow.

I was thinking the same thing. My first fly I tied was a San Juan worm and it sucked so bad I cut it apart.

Very challenging flies as a first tie here

 

[jpbfly]

Very nice flies:thumbsup::thumbsup:your copper johnson and deep prince are great.Congrats

 

[Flyfisher for men]

Gotta agree. They look excellent. My bedraggled concoctions don't come close.

 

[djamtime]

Thank you everyone for such kind comments and suggestions! I cant tell you how much it means to me that everyone on this forum is so helpful and positive.

 

[Guest1]

You are a natural it seems. Like that deep prince a lot. I may tye a few of those myself. :thmbup:

 

[flytire]

what you have tied as a new tyer is really pretty darn good.

as a 30+ year tyer i still get an occasional gap here and there when tying wire bodied flies. for now you shouldnt worry too much about it.

sometimes a gap gives a fly that little extra segmentation

nobody ties perfect flies

your "bead head" brassie will catch fish just fine

the legs on the "bead head" prince may be a bit long but i would fish it anyway

when you get the correct materials to tie the rainbow warrior youll do just fine

 

[silver creek]

My Brassie

I think you did an excellent job.

If I had one comment I would say that the brassie looks like it has the wire too far down the bend of the hook and the wraps should be touching. It may be just the angle of the photo. I think the two patterns below are about right for a brassie on a scud type hook.

Tying the Beadhead Brassie

Tying the Brassie, a Simple Effective Midge Fly | Suite101

I think the tie below goes too far down the hook.

Fly Pattern - Brassie - | The Catch and The Hatch

When you go around a bend, the wire touches on the inside of the bend, but can get separated on the outside of the bend as in your pattern.

Charlie Craven ties thread midges on the scud hook because there is no separation of the thread which be over wrapped. However, he ties brassies on a straight hook so the wire can be wound tight and touching on the hook shank.

 

[tbblom]

Try some hen (soft) hackle on the nymphs, maybe in badger color. It flows and moves in the water a bit more than stiff hackle.

I'm a big fan of the psycho prince variants, yellow/green, black/red, etc.
Rainbow warriors will look different with different thread under the tinsel, by changing from red to green you get a very different look. Also, I make one with black tinsel that works great (I call it a winter warrior).

Nice flies!

 

[yonder]

Be sure to follow up with some fish pics, when you take these flies to the stream!!!! There is nothing like catching a trout on your own fly!! Great job.