A few ties...

I just started tying not to long ago so forgive my crappy ties...

Was bored tonight and decided to mess around with some left over materials and the macro settings on the camera...

Constructive criticism is welcome

I'm trying to start big and work my way to smaller flies... my problem is my eyes must be big cause I always seem to use to much material..

Good-looking flies, Tim. As was said, they'll all catch fish, especially that bugger!

One tip for any fly using zonker strips: when you tie them in at the bend of the hook, pull apart the fur, to seperate it at the tie-in point. That way you wont bind down any of the hair underneath your thread, and tying directly down on the hide will help it to bind down more securely. It'll also make the finished fly have a better look, both in finished appearance and action in the water, by eliminating the "gap" in the fur, created by binding it down under the thread. Looks like you made that adjustment between the chartreuse and the orange zonker.

oh yea they will work and as said when tying becomes work to you
it is no longer enjoyable. But welcome to fly tying
where you walk into a shop with 40 bucks and walk out with another 20 put on the card. lol

ORIGINAL: doubletaper

i usualy add a more fuller tail on my buggers. marabu will straighten and thin out when wet and i think a thicker tail gives more movement and makes the body look longer. i also add wire weight to the hook before winding the body. this beefs up the body and gets the bugger down deeper faster. i know you can use a split shot to get it deep but there is more chance of snagging with a shot.
you got the right ideas and the ties look good. . ~dt

Good point on weighting the fly. It'll cast better too.

The wooden thing in the background distracts from the flies.  Try using a piece of gray or light blue cardstock paper behind the fly when shooting it.

To reduce camera shake use a tripod or place camera on some sort of rest, even a stack of books will work. A tabletop tripod will work well and they are relatively inexpensive. Also, most cameras have a self-timer feature. Use it in conjunction with some sort of rest and that should take care of the "shakey" problem. Welcome to the world of fly tieing. In can become very addictive and also VERY expensive if your not carefull. Trust me, I know.

just keep the dog out of your tying area - especially if you have a labrador retriever!

Mine hasnt figured out that hackle is tasty...yet. He did get a hold of a piece of marabou I dropped (he was laying at my feet. He chewed on it for a second and immediately spit it out. I guess it wasn't too good!

ORIGINAL: steely34

Lucky you Cold. My lab got a hold of a grade two neck when I went upstairs the other day to get a beer. When I came down she was standing there with it in her mouth. I had it hanging outside on the clothsline drying for a bit. No real damage though but another five minutes it would have been toast.

Yeah, I really need to get myself a few plastic bins for hackle. Everything else fits neatly in drawers and other areas he cant get to, but the hackles are just on a shelf, where, with a little reach he can get them. (The goofball is growing like a weed! A week ago he couldnt reach the shelf!)

lol cold.. you just wait till hes big.. my lab is 1 and 110lbs .. hes my mammoth.. lol.. and because of him i had to re-stock my entire fly room lol.. ill just say this that dog pooped a rainbow of egg yarn for a week!

Oh wow...geez. We keep a pretty good eye on him here, and absolutely all of my tying stuff not on that one shelf is totally out of reach/inaccessible.

But enough threadjacking! Tim, let's see some more flies!

(btw...tying on a Sunrise?)

Cold... yes it's an old Sunrise... it was my dad's and it just feels right tying on it and not some new fancy schmancy vise. It does the job for now.

ORIGINAL: pxatim

DT this one's for you

 

Much better! Thanks for the pointers..

Good advice esox, when I started tying in my hackle like that, my buggers started to look much neater.

Tim, if you decide to try it that way, run your fingers along the stem against the slant of the feather fibers, to pull them backward, all except the tip of the feather that you're holding in your hand. Tie in at the point where the fibers change direction from their natural position to swept back, it'll give you a secure connection by allowing you to place wraps directly on the stem of the feather.