I am just getting started in tying, and I for one love fishing dries as much as possible, I tackled the size 14 EHC as my first fly because it is my goto dry. I have also tackled the wooly bugger and griffith gnat. One of these days I will get the GRHE down as well as the Pheasant Tail and Adams.

 

Try the book "Tying Dry Flies" by Randall Kaufmann. It has detailed instructions and illustrations for about 30 patterns. It starts with easier patterns and moves to some more challenging ones. It will teach you a good range of skills. In the back of the book is an additional pattern directory with a picture and the dressing for about 75 more flies.

 

I hate dealing with hackle. I have found that good hackle is worth the cost and makes it much more enjoyable. I still have trouble tying a nice looking head though.

Wayne

 

I have years of streamers for salt and steelhead/salmon behind me but the #12 elk hair caddis I tried tying this AM was scarey to behold once finished. Help... where to start?

Steve-

This is what it works for me:

1) Start out with a flyshop bought model of the fly you want to tie.
2) Put it next to your vice where you can see it as you are tying.
3) Tie your imitation to look as close to the model as you are able.
4) When you finish tying the first imitation of the model, set them side-by side.
5) Itemize the differences you can see between the model and your fly:
....a) Is it more bulky?
....b) Does the hackle look the same?
....c) Is the wing in the same position?
....d) Did you crowd the eye?
....e) etc.
6) Ask yourself, what do I need to do to correct each of these differences.
7) Repeat steps (2 through 6) at least 5 times.

At this point, you will either have arrived at a reasonable approximation of the model, or you need help. If you don't really have the appropriate materials, no amount of practice will get you there. The same applies if you aren't using a reasonable sequence of tying steps, or if your technique is faulty.

Having said that, by the time you have tied the fly 6 times using the above steps, I'd be willing to bet your last couple of flies will look a lot better than your first attempt. Hope this helps.

 

iagree

I really, really like what Roger has to say. I wish someone had told ME that when I started, but you know, eventually I came to do pretty much the same thing, and it works. That fly right in front of you can mean a lot. Then - practice, repetition, practice, repetition.

Another "truth" I've discovered for myself is that the flies I believe in and enjoy fishing are the ones that I work at harder and do a better job of tying over the long haul. Imagine that!

Stay with it, and, as your confidence grows, think about getting into a WFF fly swap now and then. That in itself will force you to turn out consistent flies (you'll push yourself, trust me) and in return you'll get several new flies that'll catch your fancy and you'll end up expanding your tying "vocabulary."

(And I'd check out MrP's recommendation, too. That surely caught my interest).

One funny thing about the really nice flies I end up tying...sometimes it's hard to tie them on the end of the line, 'cause you just hate to see them get messed up. Of course, few of them are really all THAT great and so the issue rarely gets to be serious.

 

The no comment was me. I started out with the EHC because it was what I fish with 90% of the time and it was cheaper to tie than to buy. After you tie many of them they start to look better. But as for the other dries,I only tie what I think I can and buy the rest.

But if you are having problems that you can't control,just do a little visit to your local fly shop and see if they can help you out.

Jim

 

I think Mr. P, Roger and Mike's comments were all right on. The only thing I can add is that for dries, it's helpful to take what you might consider the right amount of material (ie a clump of elk hair or pinch of dubbing) and then use just half or even a quarter of your original amount. In dries, more is definately less. The smaller the clump of hair, the less dubbing, the fewer wraps, the better the profile, the lighter its weight, and the better the fly will float.

K

 

I voted no comment because spey, dee, General Practitioners, Ally's Shrimp, and full-dressed, married wing classic salmon flies are much harder to tie than a dry fly. Truthfully, the only difference between a wet and a dry are the position of the wing and the stiffness of the hackle. The biggest mistakes I've seen people make with dries are either: 1) too much wing material; 2) poor quality hackle (the genetic hackle from Whiting, Ewing, Metz, etc. is the only way to go for dry fly hackle); or 3) poor proportions of tail length, wing height, and hackle size. The easiest way to overcome using hackle that is too large for the fly's size is with the use of a hackle gage (they sell for about $6.00 give or take and nearly all fly shops carry them).

 

Thanks all for the advice and observations. I have spent the week's spare moments tying multiple EHCs, working on hackling technique and proportions, the last few are looking reasonably like some that I have bought and have on hand as models. The repetition and focus on technique seems to be helping.

I have the latest edition of Kaufmann's book and pored over all of my back issues of mags to get other material. I intend to try a few Humpies next then the Stimulator.

I do need to spend the $$s to get some decent hackle material which I intend to do this weekend. I have Hoffman's #1 Grizzly cape but the hackle on it will only do me down to about a size 12 hook.

I voted in the poll as well... dries are harder (for me at least). Even with the more complicated Spey's and Atlantic flies I have tied, it hasn't been as hard for me as there is more hook area to work with, heavier thread, and while there are more varied materials usually and I have to take my time to get each component right, I just don't find them as "taxing" as I do tying a #14 EHC... but obviously I am prejudiced.

Thanks again everyone...

Steve