5 Quick Pointers to Get Hooked with Fly Tying
By Connor McCoy
TCO Reading Store Manager
Tying flies is a fun hobby that can do a lot of things for an angler. It's a great way to stay busy and still thinking about fish even in the cold and dark of winter. Almost more importantly, it can make every catch that much more special knowing the fish you caught was done on something you created. It's a way to not only stay busy but also bring out your creative side while helping you catch more fish. Sometimes tying can get tricky, but there are lots of tips and tricks to make it seem like less of a daunting task.
1. Practice and Tie Multiple of the Same Fly
Much like anything, tying flies well takes practice. The more you tie and mess up, the more you learn. When tying a new pattern, tie multiple of the same fly. Tie flies in batches as this will allow you to see where you went wrong and what you did right. If you only tie a single fly at a time, it can be hard to discern whether or not the fly looks right. Especially when adding things like tails and wings of nymphs and dry flies. If the tails are too long, it can make the fly look off. Same goes with the wings. If they are too long or in the wrong spot, it can affect how well the fly will work.
Also, buying a fly that matches the profile of the fly you are attempting to tie can help with this as well. Tying lots of the same fly can help with understanding some of those "objective" rules like: less is more with dubbing, or keep nymph bodies thin and flat. Some of these rules or suggestions can be hard to realize without tying lots of flies. This can also help when tying tails and heads on streamers. They can be too long or too short at times, and without tying a few of the same fly, you may not realize what you could be doing "wrong."
2. Experiment with Color and Material
Tying is a great way to bring out the creative and artistic side of an angler, and for a lot of people, tying might be the reason why they fish. Personally, I find a lot of fun in catching fish on flies that are goofy colors and/or sizes. A great tip for tying, whether you are new to it or have been doing it for a long time, is to have fun and experiment with colors, sizes, and materials.
A natural pheasant tail nymph is a fantastic fly that has been catching fish for a super long time. Try replacing that natural peacock abdomen with a fun color of dubbing like purple or chartreuse. Or take the elk hair caddis that catches any fish during a caddis hatch. Instead of a green, tan, or black body, try a piece of green, tan, or black flash for a little bit of glitter. This can be a way to not only make the fly more fun to tie but also might give you an advantage that other anglers don't have. Sometimes being different, especially on pressured water, can be a good thing. If you don't experiment and goof around with materials or colors, you could be missing out.
3. Make Sure You Are Tying with the Right Size and Style of Thread
There are lots of threads out there, all of which are great, but like many other things, threads are a tool, and believe it or not, each job requires the right tool.
Threads for Dries and Nymphs
Starting with dries and nymphs, a good thread would be something thin and flat. Most dries and nymphs are small, and to work on small hooks with small materials, you need a small thread. You want a thread that is thin in diameter that is also strong. Lots of the smaller thread can be easy to break, so learning to tie with lighter pressure can be a good thing. A workaround to this is thread like Semperfli's Nano Silk. While still being thin in diameter, it is a much stronger thread that is hard to break.
Another thing when choosing a thread for dries and nymphs is flat or corded thread. When tying with a flat thread, it is much easier to create flat and tapered bodies, which is important when thinking about the profiles of the bugs you are tying. If this is what you are trying to achieve, a thread like UTC 40D is a great option. However, if you need to add a bulky spot to a fly, a corded thread like Veevus 8/0 can be better. When tying with flat thread, you can spin the bobbin clockwise and this will cord up the thread, while spinning the bobbin counterclockwise will flatten the thread out. Spinning a corded thread will not always end with the same result.
Threads for Streamers
For streamers, you want to keep a lot of the rationale in mind as you would tying a dry or a nymph, but there are some more things to consider. A big thing to keep in mind is what kind of materials you are tying with. For example, GSP is a fantastic thread for streamers. However, because of the material it is made from, it can be slippery on synthetic materials like flash or when tying in large clumps of deer hair. A great all-around thread for streamers would be something like Veevus Power Thread in a 140D or a Danville 210D. Both of these threads are strong and grip well to most materials.
Another great thread that is overlooked is mono. Mono thread is especially good when tying with bucktail, specifically when flaring bucktail for hollow ties or reverse tying. Mono will pinch those fibers and make them flare without cutting through the fibers and making them fall apart.
At the end of the day, whether you are tying a dry, nymph, or streamer, using the strongest and thinnest thread you can find will make tying a lot easier. You will find that perfect thread that works best for you, and when that happens, stick with that thread, but also don't be afraid to change it up and try something new.
4. Shorten the Distance Between the Tip of Your Bobbin and Fly
This is something that isn't an objective rule or tip but should be considered if you are struggling to tie "clean looking" flies. When you are tying and you need to control the thread or a material you are tying in, keeping the amount of thread between the tip of your bobbin and fly short is important. If you are noticing the thread isn't going where you want it to, or a material won't stay on top of the hook shank and wants to roll to one side or another, it is probably because there is too much thread out. It is a lot easier to control everything and tell it where it needs to go when there is a small amount of thread out rather than a large amount.
The way I like to think about it is: if you needed to cut an apple into 8 sections, it is going to be much easier using a kitchen knife than it would be if you used a kitchen knife on a 5-foot stick. The reason being is that the kitchen knife in your hand is much easier to control than a kitchen knife that is far away from you. Having a short length of thread makes it easier to make fine adjustments than it would be with a long length.
5. Choose the Right Hook
Hooks are the base of every fly and can be the reason a fly looks good or a little odd.
Hooks for Dry Flies and Nymphs
Caddis flies are usually tied on some sort of curved hook, whereas a mayfly is usually tied on a straight shank. Now, while that is a general rule, like anything, there are always exceptions. You can absolutely tie a mayfly on a curved hook or a caddis on a straight hook, but for the most part, a larva-style bug will be tied on a curved hook and a longer-bodied bug like a mayfly is usually tied on a straight shank.
Much like caddis and mayflies, stoneflies and midges also have their own hook bends. A stonefly hook will usually look more like a mayfly hook but will be longer and have a slight curve to it. They can be straight, but most of the time will have some sort of bend. A midge hook will look a lot like a caddis hook but will generally be shorter and smaller.
Luckily for us, most hook packaging will have the name of the fly it's designed for written on it. So if you go by that, you should be good to go. Something we see a lot is people will get really hung up on the specific brand and number of hooks. Daiichi, Mustad, Umpqua, MFC, Fulling Mill, and others will have their own names for the same hook or something close to that of another brand. It is not so important to get hung up on whether you have a Daiichi 1120 or an Umpqua 2457, as they are basically the same hook. What's more important to focus on is that they are both a curved larva hook great for caddis nymphs, and if that is what you are trying to tie, both hooks will work. There are always exceptions, as not all hook companies make the same exact bends, but for the wide majority of patterns, most hook companies make something that will work.
Hooks for Streamers
Streamer hooks hold the same rules that nymph and dry fly hooks do. If you are tying an articulated fly, having a stinger hook in the back can be beneficial because that hook point is a little lower and set further behind the shank of the hook, whereas a J hook works better for a front hook in a lot of cases because it keeps the bend of the hook away from the connection point and closer to the head of the fly. Now, this being said, you can definitely put a stinger hook in the front of a fly or a J hook in the back, and your fly will swim just as well.
It's also important to understand shank lengths for streamers. A fly like the Dungeon looks and swims better with a 2X or 3X long shank, whereas a fly like the Finesse Game Changer is tied with a short or standard shank for the front hook. The hook shank can change the way the fly looks and swims. If you look at a fly that moves well side to side, the front hooks usually have a longer shank, and a fly that swims more in a straight line or has the swimming motion of a fish has a shorter shank.
At the end of the day, the hook matters, but the brand doesn't always matter. If you are looking at a fly recipe, just pay attention to what the hook looks like and what it's supposed to do for the fly. Once you've figured that out, choose a hook from the brand of your choice.
Now Take These Tips and Tie Some Flies
There are so many tricks and tips out there to help improve your tying skills and flies, and these are a few that helped my progression in tying. There is always something to learn or something to do better, so if you have a question or are struggling with something, don't be afraid to ask one of us at your local TCO Fly Shop or a buddy of yours who ties. They might be able to show you or teach you something you never knew or didn't realize. Get on that vise and spin up a few bugs, maybe even try out one of these pointers!
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