Fly tying | Page 24

Here's some good advice from professional fly tier Tim Flagler: Wash your hands before you tie. Not only can dirt and grime get into the prints of your fingers, but they can discolor bright materials and reduce sensitivity.Video of Prepping Your Hands for TyingAlso, and I think this is just as important, Flagler recommends taking…

Loon's Matt Callies ties some great flies, and he's really good at making it look easy. I've got a saltwater trip coming up, so I've been watching the Loon fly-tying series for some baitfish pattern ideas, and I haven't been disappointed. Video of Basic DeceiverAbove, Matt ties the Basic Deceiver, a super-simple pattern that predatory…

Don't get any untoward ideas. This fly gets its name from all the wood duck materials used in the tying process, and not from, well, anything else. And, it's a great wet attractor pattern for all kinds of mayflies, ranging from green drakes to sulphers. Video of Major WoodyAs Tim Flagler shows above, it's also…

For new fly tiers and even for some of us seasoned at the vise, tying the perfect head on any fly can be a real challenge. Oversized heads look weird, mess with the balance of a fly and and make it tough to change flies quickly on the water. Video of Neat HeadsIn the video…

Blue-winged Olives might be the fly fisher's best friend in the mayfly world. No, they're not big. They're not terribly enticing to tie a the vise. But, damn, on any blustery day, they could show up and quickly move up the menu for feeding trout. I love to fish the South Fork of the Snake…

'Tis the season for emergers. Cold-weather flies like midges and even Blue-winged Olives are popping on warmer winter days in rivers all over America, and trout are always looking for them. In the video below, Tim Flagler ties a popular fly with a couple of little variations—his WD 40 Plus is just a slightly fancier…

For a lot of fly tiers (or a lot of fly tiers like me, anyway), there's always a bit of guess work when it comes to measuring materials before they are tied to the hook. Often, for me, it's a "Well, I guess that looks about right" sort of endeavor. Video of How to Accurately…