My First Attempts

[Pieter Salverda]

Alright, keep the laughing to a dull roar! What you are supposed to see in the attached pictures are two attempts at a pheasant caddis and also a "carey Special." Please keep in mind these are the first three flies I have tied after getting LOTS of feedback from people here. I also do not yet have a stacker so the caddis are more rough than they will be in the future. I had trouble getting the deer hair to stick out in the front as much as it "should."

All in all I am pretty happy and certainly hooked. Now I think it is just about practice. Please let me know what you think. Any pointers from you seasoned vets?

Thanks again for all of your information and encouragement.

Pieter

[chadk]

I started not too long ago and still tie mostly ugly fies. But I still catch plenty of fish on my flies and rarely use anything but my own. What helps me is to get the fly on the water and see how it performs. Does it float like I expected? Does the hook ride like I wanted? Do the fish slam it, just stare, or run like hell from it? Does it fall apart to fast?

Some things will come with practice: Making a neat head. Using the 'right' proportions. Using the right amount of material. Etc etc...

[Charlie S]

Your flies look pretty good for first attempts. I hate to tell you what my first ones 56 years ago looked like. For some constructive advice: when tying, remember less is better. You can usually add materials later and in many instances more sparse catches more fish. Also watch your proportions (although these are fairly good) and the wing length. A stacker will definitely help you with the wings. On your Carey Special, it looks like you used brown hackle instead of pheasant. If so, then it's a Brown Hackle Peacock instead, but still a very effective wet fly. Keep it up, you will get better with each fly. You have the talent, now you just need to polish the skills.

[Ron McNeal]

Hey, those are good look'in flys and they look like they'll produce for you. Have fun.

[scottflycst]

Pieter,
You're doing just fine man! Remember flies aren't pretty to the fish...to the fish they're just food.

When was the last time you waltzed into a Red Robin and told the waitress...bring me your most beautiful burger?

[LG Mix]

When was the last time you waltzed into a Red Robin and told the waitress...bring me your most beautiful burger?

True, but I do have a favorite restaurant in Ellensberg which has consistently beautiful waitresses.

[salt dog]

I'll pass on to you the high praise I received after hours of laboring on my first flies: "they look fishable." Yours indeed, look quite fishable.

As Chad pointed out, taking them out for a test drive is what it's about: do they perform as expected, and if not, what can you do to make changes.

[fishfinder]

It is my opinion that there are two types of flies. Show flies and fishing flies. Since I am in my second year most if not all of my flies are fishing flies. By that I mean my flies catch fish, but they wouldn't win any prizes. Keep it up and enjoy catching fish on YOUR flies. :thumb:

[koja48]

53 years ago as I was learning & growing more & more frustrated at the bench with broken hackle, broken tying thread, big ugly heads, etc., my Dad came in & gave me the best piece of advice I ever received regarding fly tying . . . "There are flies that catch fish, and there are flies that catch fishermen. As long as you can tie the first kind, it doesn't matter if you never master the second kind." Your "first attempts" look darn good! Keep on keepin' on . . . it gets better & you WILL have good days & bad days. When I recognize a bad day, I go do something else, usually involving activities that don't include sharp, pointed, or fragile objects or any degree of manual dexterity & rational thought . . . being a born-again bachelor, those days are a good thing, since house cleaning proves to be a fine example of such mindless, boring (and too-easily-avoided-otherwise) tasks.