Brand New to Fly Tying

[Pink Nighty]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome & words of encouragement! I see now why Josh likes it here so much

Quick question, if anyone has any advice to offer: This is my most recent attempt at a reversed spider in the vice & my 1st below it for comparison. I like the look of the splayed feathers better than the cone shape, but I don't know which is better or more correct. I've found pictures of this fly pattern online with both shapes, so maybe it doesn't matter? It seems like the splayed hackle would have more movement in the water though, if I'm imagining it correctly.
View attachment 51569

I like the splayed out version better. As you strip this through the water, the feathers over the eye fold back over the hook shank and then return on the pause. Having them more splayed like your new effort will encourage even "poofing" where the first effort may fold over, if that makes sense.

+1 for taking half the fibers off the stem. More material usually impedes action.

 

[Stacey]

I like to create a tapered thread bump behind the hook’s eye and then strip one side of the feather…sparser more active pulsing wing.

Thank you. I felt like there was too much material there...I'll try stripping one side of the feather next time.

 

[Stacey]

I like the splayed out version better. As you strip this through the water, the feathers over the eye fold back over the hook shank and then return on the pause. Having them more splayed like your new effort will encourage even "poofing" where the first effort may fold over, if that makes sense.

+1 for taking half the fibers off the stem. More material usually impedes action.

Makes perfect sense - thank you!

 

[FinLuver]

Thank you. I felt like there was too much material there...I'll try stripping one side of the feather next time.

Here's one that I tied...
Forgot mention, that I steam the feather, to open up the feather; I do the chenille as well.

 

[James St. Clair]

Long ago (c. 1997/8/9) I used to work at Creekside Angling Co. In Issaquah. Mike Kinney (the originator of this pattern) was my coworker (although he was much more than that, mentor, guru, guide, spey casting extraordinaire, encyclopedia, and a super cool guy to be around and fish with). Mike would add a thread bump up near the eye to keep the "hackle" fibers splayed. I don't remember if he stripped one side or not, but he definitely tied them sparse. I feel like he didn't strip anything, but only took a turn or two. Both the thread bump to splay and the sparsness of the hackle add more action to the fly, and help the fibers to move evenly back over the body when stripped. Too much hackle, and in a cone shape, can push more fibers to one side and make the fly swim funky. One of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of mallard as a sub for the hackle, as it is more difficult to get to splayed and tends to cone despite the thread bump.

From a fishing standpoint I think less hackle, and then splayed like your 2nd version. However if you were looking to catch fisherpeople, I really do like the asthetics of both your flies with the thicker hackle!

For more fly tying videos, I really like Fly Fish Food. They have a beginner series, and then they have a ton of their own patterns that work really well on the water. They also show you how to tie many standby patterns. Tons of great info, tips, and tricks in their videos.

I'd also suggest checking videos from Gunnar Brammer. Now, some of his flies are super involved and maybe not good patterns to start with, but he has some great videos on thread control in general. Search on YouTube "gunnar brammer thread control". You can learn a ton from watching his vids.

Welcome to one of the coolest things on the planet, IMO. Fly tying is a great way to be on the water when you can't physically be there, it is an excellent creative outlet, and it is really cool to have a fish fooled by a fly that you have created, by yourself or anyone else! Just remember, it will not save you money, and you will likely end up with more materials than your grandkids will be able to use in their lifetime !

 

[Stacey]

Here's one that I tied...
Forgot mention, that I steam the feather, to open up the feather; I do the chenille as well.

That's beautiful! Steaming - why didn't I think of that?? As someone who sews every day, steaming the components seems like a logical jump, but it didn't occur to me. I'm excited to try again w/ my list of improvements - steaming, thread bump behind the eye, & sparser hackle. I might need to pick up some different chenille too. The one I have says "medium" but it's really quite thin & not at all fluffy.

 

[Stacey]

I'd also suggest checking videos from Gunnar Brammer. Now, some of his flies are super involved and maybe not good patterns to start with, but he has some great videos on thread control in general. Search on YouTube "gunnar brammer thread control". You can learn a ton from watching his vids.

These videos were incredibly helpful - thank you!

 

[Brute]

Excellent first tie…I’m a novice to fly tying myself, just over a year in…and yes, it is addictive. Since I also fish, I tried tying flies that I would use first…then later expanded to just learn certain techniques. My first ties were woolly buggars and nymphs, then simple streamers.

My wife texted me last night to come to bed, since I was on my 19th YouTube fly tying video…and maybe a couple beers.

 

[FinLuver]

That's beautiful! Steaming - why didn't I think of that?? As someone who sews every day, steaming the components seems like a logical jump, but it didn't occur to me. I'm excited to try again w/ my list of improvements - steaming, thread bump behind the eye, & sparser hackle. I might need to pick up some different chenille too. The one I have says "medium" but it's really quite thin & not at all fluffy.

Medium is what that is.
Tie in mid body, wrap forward to set wing, wrap back to tail and tie off. Make sure the bobbin is sitting there at the tail, waiting for the chenille to arrive.

Ps: The “thinness” look may be because it was carded which flattens the chenille…take a section …watch it twist back up and fluff as you run it thru the steam…lay it a paper towel to cool and set.

 

[wetline dave]

Yes lesser is better especially with hackle.

I think the body is fine. Often I tie bodies using embroidery thread. I don't aways want that wide body profile and it seems to work just fine, caught cutts, steelhead and pinks on skinny bodied spiders and not always with a reverse hackle.

Dave

 

[cdnred]

Here's one that I tied...
Forgot mention, that I steam the feather, to open up the feather; I do the chenille as well.
View attachment 51585

New to fly tying so it might be a silly question but what sort of steamer do you use for steaming feathers..? Is it something small that can easily be taken on road trips..? I searched and found this one steamer which may do the trick but it's more geared towards hat steaming which might be overkill..

Jiffy Original Hat Steamer | J-1

Jiffy Steamer

jiffysteamer.com

Or are you using something like this personal steamer below by Esteam..?

 

[cdnred]

As the title says, I’m brand new to fly tying. This is my very first attempt (so, be nice ). It’s supposed to be a Reverse Spider, & while it’s far from perfect, I think I’m hooked (ha).
View attachment 51186

I’m also @Josh 's wife. I decided recently that I wanted to learn to tie flies, & when I asked him which ones I should learn first, his answer was a bit long & rambling (which I suspect isn't a surprise to any of you) - but then, he’s much more into fly fishing than fly tying. So, I decided to make my own account here & ask you all. What was your first fly &/or what would you recommend for an absolute beginner?

Josh already has lots of fly tying supplies cluttering up our garage, so I’ll probably try to work with what I’ve got for the moment. I’m also thinking that maybe some of my sewing/crafting/fiber arts supplies could be used as well, which opens up a whole world of possibilities (though I’m getting a bit ahead of myself there).

Anyhoo, I’d love to hear your opinions! What’s the next fly I should attempt? There are so many that look like fun, I’m having trouble deciding. Josh says bass, sea run cutthroat, and steelhead flies would be most useful for him. But mostly, I just want to work my way up the learning ladder. Do I just pick something that looks interesting and go for it? Or are there certain flies that teach specific techniques that'll be useful down the road?

~Stacey

Welcome and GREAT job on tying your first fly. Hopefully these will be for yourself to use on the water but you could share with @Josh. Be selective on the type of flies towards the fish you'll be targeting. BTW, what was the vintage that came with the cork..? I haven't tried American Vintage so I might be missing something there, might need to chat with @flybill about that..

 

[Stacey]

BTW, what was the vintage that came with the cork..? I haven't tried American Vintage so I might be missing something there

You'd have to ask @Josh about the wine...it was gone before I even knew we had an open bottle