bingsbaits
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Too small for me..
Kudos to you fellas that can tie on these smaller hooks... I picked up a pack of size #18 dries and went to work to try and knock out some flies.. That is some fine work my old worn out fingers and eyes, trying to set wings on a size 18 dry is well....questionable at best....  Here are a couple I did get done still not as good as they should be....     
post edited by bingsbaits - 2010/02/14 21:18:49
"There is a pleasure in Angling that no one knows but the Angler himself". WB
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steely34
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/14 21:39:36
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Bing, After tying on small hooks, you'll most likely be amazed at how much easier it seems to be to tie on a much larger hook. I know I am. And those flies will work just fine. Quill bodies look great. Just a suggestion on the hackle if ya don't mind...it looks like you may be wrapping the hackle over top of previous wraps on a few of those. I may be wrong though - hard to tell. Try wrapping it one right in front of the other towards the eye. And you'll be surprized how few wraps it takes to float the dry. They look good though - thanks for putting up the pics - I know when I tie from 18's on down I gotta change to stronger reading/tying glasses to catch all my screwups. LOL
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it..... you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
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Cold
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/14 22:57:45
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If its all the same to you, I find that wings on small dries like that are really not worth the effort. 18 & smaller go wingless in my box. 
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flyfishindave
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/15 00:15:58
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I have been tring small for the last week, 12 dozen 22 &24 & 26 done & about 10 dozen to get done & it can not come soon enough. I put wings on 18 & some 20 & most of them are on BWO'S. your flies will catch fish & the more you tie on small hooks the better you will get, keep at it the small flies catch fish & soon you will enjoy tying them
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Porktown
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/15 11:15:04
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Those look great if you ask me.
Do you use one of those adjustable armed magnifying glass / light contraptions? I always used my drafting one when trying to tie small flies. It made it easier, but still didn't make them easy by any means.
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Esox_Hunter
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/15 14:48:46
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I am not trying to be overly critical, but I would suggest to use stiffer hackle barbs for the tails on the last 2 you have pictured. The webby softer ones you chose will either absorb water or be too soft to support the fly to ride properly.
Other than that they look great!!
On my dries size #18 and smaller I generally use hi-vis wing material (poly yarn). No measuring at all, just set the wings and trim them up when you are complete the fly. The fish don't seem to mind that my smaller flies don't have traditional wings.
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bingsbaits
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/15 14:58:24
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Critiques accepted and appreciated....Thanks guys.....
"There is a pleasure in Angling that no one knows but the Angler himself". WB
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chrisrowboat
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/16 13:03:18
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Try when wrapping your thread base to put a small hump of thread at the bend end. This will help to get the tail fibers to angle slightly up word and will help the fly sit up on the water better.
Just my 2cents take it for what it is worth.
I've been making my way down on my dries I am at 20's now started with 12's about a month ago.
post edited by chrisrowboat - 2010/02/16 13:05:08
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World Famous
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/16 15:33:19
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Agree with Esox; use as good a type for the tails as for the hackle. Also I have found to make the tails a little sparse. With the small flies, only a few fibers are needed. I also agree with the wings, pain in the butt to make pretty wings but have not found a difference in catch rates with wings on my midges.When they are that small, I find them easier to tie.I don't have to be as precise.
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anchke
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/02/16 17:25:21
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[applause] Yep. Substitute or omit material if the fish don't mind or it's just too darn hard.
Also, you can sub a stiff hair like mink for hackle fibers in the tail. I've seen some tiers use bucktail. (NOT deer body hair, which will flair)
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bronzeback2
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/03/08 16:44:29
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I'm lucky the better half flyfishes and ties, she ties all the size 16 and smaller I do the bigger stuff we've pretty much evolved to comparaduns for our dries, Bing your doing fantastic and your ties will catch fish, its a great way to pass the winter and a lot of satisfaction in fooling them with something you made, one of the neatest deals was trying to find a dubbing that matched a light caddis that hatches on one of our central Pa. limestoners my yellow lab is like velcroed to me until the day he was lying by the fly tieing bench while I was trying to blend something to match it well two passes on him with an old hairbrush yielded enough underhair to tie some and it worked the next time out only thing is he leaves my side when I sit down to tie.
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DJ2007
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/03/08 18:10:37
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od a type for the tails as for the hackle. Also I have found to make the tails a little sparse. With the small flies, only a few fibers are needed. I also agree with the wings, pain in the butt to make pretty wings but have not found a difference in catch rates with wings on my midges.When they are that small, I find them easier to tie.I don't have to be as precise. 26 can they see flies that small? Can u hook a trout on those hooks without breaking them?
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World Famous
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/03/08 19:19:19
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DJ, amazingly you can. The hard part is removing the hook from a trout without bending them.I always thought hook makers should put oversize eyes on the small hooks to make them easier to tie on also.....WF
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dimebrite
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/03/08 22:32:14
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a little food for thought since you guys are talking about small flies. if anyone targets the trico hatches, it's well worth it to tie a doouble on one hook... maybe even one olive and one black (male/female)... it sure beats tying a 20-24. besides, trout are known to sip many tricos at once. hi viz or zelon side wings work great...
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fishenfool46
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/03/09 01:09:47
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if anyone was at the pennswoods show in cranberry there was a fella there tying 30's it was amazing.
I didn't say these are the ten suggestions signed God
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doubletaper
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/03/09 10:41:03
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ORIGINAL: World Famous
DJ, amazingly you can. The hard part is removing the hook from a trout without bending them.I always thought hook makers should put oversize eyes on the small hooks to make them easier to tie on also.....WF
orvis sells big eye hooks in small dry fly hooks. the hooks actually appear to be a 1/2 size bigger than a standard hook but the eye is much bigger. i use them. if i'm going to tie a #16 dry pattern, with a big eye hook i'll drop down to a #18 most times.
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steely34
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RE: Too small for me..
2010/03/09 11:13:47
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Agreed DT - with my aging eyes - those big eye hooks are a godsend!!!
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it..... you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
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