I learned the trick that Tim Flagler demonstrates in the video below a while back, and it’s made my flies that incorporate rubber legs much easier to tie.
Tying rubber legs need not be the onerous task I once thought it was. Rather, it’s a simple process I follow religiously when tying big flies like Chernobyls or big hoppers. Tim makes it look easy, of course, so don’t get frustrated if it takes you a few tries to get it just right. But, done right, flies with rubber legs float high and dry—I like to think of rubber legs as little outriggers for flies. They keep a big fly balanced and in the top of the water column.
If you’re not using rubber legs for your larger dry-fly patterns, give it a shot and see what you think.
— Chris Hunt