my first attempts at tying flies

[Ziggy]

still learning.......

[Homie]

 

Looks great Ziggs !

[Charles]

Awesome Ziggy. Looks very professional

[Rory]

  looking good, very nice!

[isivuba]

Ziggy what I know about fly fishing is scary but man those nymphis look awesome. 
How long does it take to make one?

[Wynand13]

Looking great there.


If you need some advice I`ve been going to fly tying evenings at Urban FlyFishers they have clinic every Tuesday evening that starts at about 19:00 really worth going.

[Ziggy]

@Isivubu: with my inexperienced fingers - they take about 20 minutes I suppose! About three times as long as the instructional videos that I have been using on youtube!


@Rory: Thanks, all your fault as you well know! You encouraged me to get kitted out and join the "dark side"!


@Wynand: I live in Durban..... It is amazing how much you can find on the internet, lots of very good instructional videos and articles

[Lichia amia]

Well done , looking good 

[icstuff]

Nice going, you make me look bad. I should have started tying long ago 

[Rory]

Now tie all 8 again - this time try to use exactly half the materials on each fly 

[Ziggy]

Now tie all 8 again - this time try to use exactly half the materials on each fly 

You mean half the material on the fly and of course the half that I had to junk due to inexperience!

[Rory]

Thats it, get them a bit "slimmer". Don't stress about junking bits and pieces of material, it comes with the territory. At the end of each year, I have at least a supermarket bag full of off cuts and junk that gets thrown out!

[diamonddogs]

As everyone said - very cool. Just for shits - see how thin you can tie them. Seriously - try it as a joke and you will be supper chuffed with the end result. Keep the body thin and the thorax a third of what it is currently.

When you tie in the tail - turn the vise or the hook so you look directly at the top of the hook bend - try and tie the tail in on top of the hook instead of on the side. Not only will this look more natural but who knows - maybe the fly will even swim/drift better.

Also, if you use less feathers for your tail - I think more than 5 is a waste, it will automatically make your body slimmer when you twist the rest of the feather around the hook shank.
Have a look at the natural you are imitating - see if you can count more than 3/4 tail antennae thingymajiks

Less is more...

Nice attempt and well done.

[Ziggy]

As everyone said - very cool. Just for shits - see how thin you can tie them. Seriously - try it as a joke and you will be supper chuffed with the end result. Keep the body thin and the thorax a third of what it is currently.

When you tie in the tail - turn the vise or the hook so you look directly at the top of the hook bend - try and tie the tail in on top of the hook instead of on the side. Not only will this look more natural but who knows - maybe the fly will even swim/drift better.

Also, if you use less feathers for your tail - I think more than 5 is a waste, it will automatically make your body slimmer when you twist the rest of the feather around the hook shank.
Have a look at the natural you are imitating - see if you can count more than 3/4 tail antennae thingymajiks

Less is more...

Nice attempt and well done.

I followed the patterns as closely as i could - but maybe I used smaller hooks than what they had recommended - I will tie with less materials - I was thinking of stripping those hooks and starting all over again...good practice!

[Herman Jooste]

Nice going for first ties.   I am really impressed.
 
Don't strip those first flies, keep them in a little box on one side and then pull them out in 6 months time and compare them to what you are then tying. It's always a good ego boost to actually see how far you have improved.

[UrbanFF]

All advice above is very valid, only thing I can suggest as well is to use a pinch wrap when setting the tail etc. in place. Welcome to my obsession.

[Ziggy]

All advice above is very valid, only thing I can suggest as well is to use a pinch wrap when setting the tail etc. in place. Welcome to my obsession.

It took a little while to manipulate my fingers with the pinch wrap - but got it taped now!


An obsession indeed!

[dodger]

Well done Ziggy, it's something I always wanted to try, but my fingers are not nimble enough  for what you have tied

[briansflyfishing]

A very good fist attempt. I would eat those.