Fly tyers?

[auld argonian]

So, as I start to clear off the desk and get all of my stuff out to begin cranking out some pheasant tails and emerging caddises in just the right shade of sickly green for that nice little river up in Minnesota that I'm going to be visiting soon...how many of the rest of you tie flies?

I'm tempted to tie some "purina trout chow" flies since I found out that the DNR tends to stock the river with hatchery trout late in the season. I'm sure that it's for the benefit of the tourists (and the locals, I guess) but I just can't bring myself to do the "trout chow" trick...might a well just fish with worms.

Best

AA

[macwilkin]

Not much of a fly-tyer or a fly-fisherman, really, but my mother-in-law is, and so I am slowly learning the art of fly-fishing from her. My fingers are too fat for tying, methinks! :mrgreen: I became enamored with fly-fishing many years ago after seeing A River Runs Through It.

My MIL has fished in Canada and Scotland, btw.

Whenever I fish, I remember the old saying:

"The ox is slow, but the earth is patient."

Regards,

Todd

[JimB]

My boys and I all tie flys but in truth we mostly do it during the winter.
It gives us something to do, just sit around the kitchen table, tie flies and talk about the fishing that will come in the spring, and it builds up our fly inventory.
Occassionally we will ge out and fish in the winter, but I like the dry fly fishing that comes in the summer more

I make a pretty decent nymph, but my favorite is the elk hair caddis dry fly. It works very well here in Utah.

[hallmarktex]

I'm just getting in to the whole fly fishing scene. We like to go to the high rivers in Colorado during the heat of Texas summer. At this point, I'm just trying to figure out which fly is what and when to use it.

Actually tying the fly is down the road a bit for me.

[flyv65]

I do most of my own fly-tying, either for personal use, to re-stock my boxes after family "helps themselves", or to barter with other tyers. It's not difficult once you know what you're doing (and you've discovered what materials and tools suit your style). I mostly fish the high country anymore: I've caught enough big fish on small tippets to satisfy my ego, and would just as soon avoid the crowds at the hog factories anyway. I probably use a handful of patterns each from Gary LaFontaine, Shane Stalcup, Ed Engle, and Rim Chung for most of my fishing, and won't use a complex pattern 'cuz then I focus more on not losing the fly rather than presenting it properly.

For those who *do* tye their own, consider the LaFontaine emergent sparkle pupa in addition (or even in place of) an elk hair caddis: it take a little bit longer to tye, but seems to pull the fish better.

Bryan...got some "good" places to wet a line, too...

[Arlen]

My fiance learned to tie flies from her father and her two grandfathers. I am currently learning from a few books, and I'm getting there slowly.
The best luck I've had on Scottish Brown trout it with a daddy long legs fly. (I believe you guys call them something else.)

[flyv65]

SNIP
The best luck I've had on Scottish Brown trout it with a daddy long legs fly. (I believe you guys call them something else.)

It looks like some type of crane fly; Diptera, I believe. IIRC, that bunch is mostly midges and 'skeeters. I do tye some midge patterns, but it seems like the small blue winged olive patterns work just as well out here on the tailwaters [(pseudocoelon instead of baetis) apologies for my spelling!].

Bryan...although midges work well in winter on the Blue...

[Weasel Mender]

Fly fishing and tieing is only one of my addictions.......
My name is Bob and I tie flies
My name is Bob and I bowhunt
My name is Bob and I wear kilts.........
Ans so the story goes

[David White]

I use to tie all my flies. There is nothing like flyfishing on the James River for smallmouth bass!!!!!

[flyv65]

I heard the James is a great smallmouth fishery: I used to spin some deerhair bugs for largemouth bass at my F.I.L.'s place in Alabama...what a pain!

Bryan