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Fly tying: Ribbing a fly
Fly ribbing is not only a great way to "segment" a nymph body, but, as Tim Flagler points out below, it's a great way to protect delicate materials, like peacock herl. Video of How to Rib a Fly and WhyI tie a few nymphs with wire ribbing, and even add wire to simple streamers, like…
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Fly tying: Using a whip-finisher
When I got my first beginning fly-tying kit all those years ago, most of the tools made sense. But there was this weird loopy, wiry thing that just confounded me. It was a whip-finishing tool. I set it aside and when I tied my first fly (likely a horrible-looking Woolly Bugger that, on its best…
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Fly tying: Adding weight with lead-free wire
Adding weight to flies can be tricky. A lot of tiers prefer to simply add a bead of varying weight to the hook before tying, which not only gives the fly some weight, but also some flash and character. Video of Adding Lead-Free Wire WrapsBut sometimes, as Tim Flagler notes in the video above, adding…
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Fly tying: The Carey Special
There is always room in my fly box for versatile flies—patterns that can be dead-drifted or fished on the swing are valuable assets for the fall and winter angler. Maybe no pattern incorporates the versatility that the Carey Special does. Video of Carey SpecialHere, Tim Flagler ties a very basic version of this fly, using…
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Fly tying: Tying hair wings
If you're like me, you've resorted to buying hair-wing attractor dries like the Ausable and the Royal Coachman, or you've learned new tying techniques to avoid using hair wings at all. I tie my Royal Coachman pattern "renegade" style, using hackle tips rather than hair wings. It's faster, easier and results in fewer curse words…
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Fly tying: Rubber legs simplified
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. Video of Tying in Rubber Leg MaterialTying rubber legs need not be the onerous task I once thought it was. Rather, it's a simple process I follow…
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Fly tying: Loon Live streams tonight
Matt Callies ties the Balanced Bugger and the Perdigon Variation nymph live tonight at 9 p.m. ET. Fly tying, for many fly fishers, is an economic necessity. Dropping $50 at the fly shop on tying materials can literally save you hundreds of dollars—if, that is, you factor in the time spent at the vise as…
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