Articulated A. P. Nymph

Profile Plate

A profile plate helps to reduces glare, eyestrain and blocks out the busy background on the tying bench. The plate is also perfect for providing a plain background for photographing your flies.

But they can cost $$$ depending on the vise manufacturer

So here is my cheaper alternative

I bought a typists document holder for $5 + free shipping

Insert a 39 cent piece of your favorite color craft/scrapbooking paper in the holder

Then place it behind your vise to block out the mess and clutter on your bench and you'll see what youre tying much better

Please note: this is just one way of making a profile plate. There are many more clever and elaborate ways of making one

Thanks for looking

Norm

Alexandra

Alexandra

Winged Wet Fly

Tag - Dark red floss*

Tail - Peacock sword

Ribbing - Oval silver tinsel*

Body - Silver tinsel

Hackle - Deep wine, dark claret or black

Wing - Peacock sword - may have a dash of scarlet on each side

Trout - Ray Bergman

Forgotten Flies - Schmookler and Sils

*The recipe in Bergman's book lists the ribbing and tag as optional

The Alexandra exists in numerous variations. It is a fly of English origin that was supposedly banned in fishing competitions at one time because of its killing effectiveness.

Trout Fishing and the Color of Wet Dubbing

http://www.scribd.com/doc/142144696/Trout-Fishing-and-the-Color-of-Wet-Dubbing#scribd

Folding Feathers

Every now and then there is a need to to have that swept back look with hackles and other feathers

Here is one way out of many to achieve that look

This is a simple fly tying technique someone might want to learn

Yes it adds time to tying your fly but who cares!

http://globalflyfisher.com/tie-better/folding-feathers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U8IZ6GLdns&t=149s

Alpine Emerger

Alpine Emerger

Hook - Mustad S80-3906, S82-3906B, size 16-18

Thread - Gray

Tail - Dyed blue dun barred mallard fibers tied sparse

Body - Dubbed blue dun synthetic

Legs - Same as tail fibers

Reference: Popular Fly Patterns by Terry Hellekson

With a lifetimes supply of teal feathers, 

I substituted these of what's called for in the original recipe

Body Glass Caddis

Body Glass Caddis

Hook - Straight or curved
Thread - Black
Ribbing - Copper wire
Body - Olive body glass or equivalent*
Thorax - Peacock herl
Legs - Optional

*Equivalent = V rib, d rib, liqui lace, larva lace, swannundaze (if you still have it) etc.

Careless Coachman

Careless Coachman

Hook - Mustad 3665A

Thread - Fluorescent red
Tail - Golden pheasant tippet
Butt - Peacock herl
Body - Red floss or uni stretch
Rib - Flat silver tinsel, wound closer than usual
Wing - Brown calf tail

How to adjust your bobbin holder

Stump Lake Damsel

Stump Lake Damsel

Hook: your favorite

Thread: olive

Eyes: see below

Tail: marabou

Body: swannundaze or d-rib etc

Wing case: olive magic foil, scud back etc

Thorax: SLF damsel olive dubbing

 Thread 2 fringe beads onto a short length of wire and twist until tight. I added a drop uv resin to help spread them apart. Tie them onto the hook and make some figure eight wraps between the beads.

Example of fringe beads. Note the offset hole.

If you're lazy and don't want to twist up any eyes just use peanut beads.

Thanks for looking & happy tying.

Lopez Minnow

Lopez Minnow

Hook - Streamer style

Thread - White

Under body - Lead Wire

Tail And Back - Buck tail (Brown, black, green etc)

Over body - Silver mylar braid piping

Eyes - Painted yellow over black

 UV Resin

Reference: Streamers & Bucktails The Big Fish Flies by Joseph D Bates Jr

Thumb Tack Eyes

I had an idea regarding eyes for larger flies like those used for pike, musky, saltwater fish etc and thought about using thumb tacks for eyes. I had a box of white thumb tacks and a variety of lacquer craft paint and married the two together as shown below

You can start making the eyes using gold, silver, white, multi colored thumb tacks

When ready to install in your fly, just snip off the tack to the desired length and use epoxy to adhere the eyes to your fly.

I used the Wasatch eye painting tools to help make the eyes

Sinfoil's Fry

Sinfoil's Fry

Minnow Imitation

Ken Sinfoil

Hook - Dai Riki 700 or equivalent, size 10-12

Thread- Black

Underbody -Silver mylar tinsel

Body - Clear plastic wrap cut into 1/8-inch strip and wrapped

Collar - Fluorescent red Body Stretch

Wing - Sparse widgeon flank, mallard flank, teal, bronze mallard fibers

Head - Black thread

Eyes - Painted black over yellow

Awesome Lake Brookie

Awesome Lake Brookie

Hook: Streamer style

Thread: Light color for under body and then black

Tail: Olive marabou

Ribbing: Red holographic tinsel

Body: orange floss, orange Uni Stretch or equivalent

Topping: Peacock herl from an eye stick

Throat: White buck tail followed by orange hackle fibers

Eyes: Painted yellow and black

Tying Note: Light colored thread is used to help maintain the body color of the fly. 

Thanks for looking.

Slade's Secret

Slade's Secret

Hook - Mustad 3399, 3906 or equivalent

Thread - Black

Tag - Flat gold tinsel & gold floss

Tail - Bronze mallard

Butt - Peacock sword

Rib - Gold oval tinsel

Body - Rear half lime green wool, front half peacock herl

Wing - Brown bear

Throat - Teal flank, sparse

Reference - Charles DeFeo section of Forgotten Flies

In this pattern I made a couple of substitutions

1. I colored white floss with a gold marker to achieve the gold floss

2. I used peacock herl for the butt. I didn't feel the peacock sword herls I had were long enough.

3. I used moose body hair for the wing. I have no brown bear.

I hope you like it.

Marlo Dipietro Vises

See more vises here

How Does a Trout Catch a Fly?

http://www.flyfishingdevon.co.uk/how-does-a-trout-catch-a-fly02.shtml

Chevrolet Promotional Flies

DR. Hendrickson

Preserving And Storing Material

Feathers are composed of about 91% protein, 8% water, and 1% lipids.  The type of protein in feathers is called keratin, a sulphurous, fibrous protein.  Fur and hair have a similar composition so use this information for storing all natural materials.

Read the rest of the article here

http://www.flytyingworld.com/classroom/96/1182-Caring-for-your-Feathers-and-Natural-Materials--.html

Early Season Sampler

7 knots for tying a fly to tippet/leader

Leisenring Spun Dubbing Methods

Bill Shuck Flymph Tying Demonstration

Oval Tinsel Substitute

So you want to tie a streamer body of flat tinsel and ribbed with oval tinsel and you search and search for the oval tinsel and you come up empty. Do not fear! Here is a simple trick for making your own. It wont replace the real thing but it will serve as a substitute.

Tie in the flat tinsel and wrap the tinsel in touching 

turns to the bend of the hook. 

(I like to attach hackle pliers to the tinsel at this point)

Begin twisting the tinsel from the flat ribbon to a rope 

configuration. Pay attention to the twisting of the tinsel so that you get a 

silver rib on a silver body.

Wrap the tinsel into a tight rope.

Wrap the ribbing forward and tie off.

You now have a smoothly wrapped tinsel body with a rib of 

twisted tinsel that substituted for the real oval tinsel.

Continue to finish the fly.

Thanks for looking.

Imitation Jungle Cock

Here is an easy and inexpensive way to make a jungle cock substitute by Dick Talleur

Tt wont actually replace the real thing but for fishing flies who cares! 

Keep the real jungle cock for your museum quality flies

You don't really have to use the brass template to make the imitation.

All you need is a feather that has a white spot in the center of the stem as shown in the first photo and a pair of scissors. 

Just strip away any waste barbs and trim the guinea feather to the approximate shape shown in the third photo on the left.