ORIGINAL: Cold

+1 to KJH

When I was learning technique from a mentor, he always emphasized making a small, neat head to finish the fly.

 
Ahhhh, yes, way back in your fly tying salad days.  Four months ago?  Six months ago?
 

ORIGINAL: Cold


Didn't mean to imply that I'd been tying for a long time, just that I'm no longer currently meeting with him to learn.

 
I'm just bustin' on ya.
 

i have to disagree kjh the material is trapped againest the shank when tied in
i fail to see the difference. i see it as a neatness issue or a durability issue just my two cents

For erie sthd a small, neat head makes for a nicer looking fly. as for fish appeal it doesn't make a friggen bit of difference what size the head is, within reason.  I tie just about every thing with Uni 8/0 thread, keeps the bulk down and heads nice and small.

ORIGINAL: Cold
Both will catch fish, but the dot just might give it that extra something to attract a picky spey fisherman.

 
Agreed.

KJ - absolutely no offense taken. That's what this is all about -  teaching each other something we're familiar with. Cold - great explaination and it all makes sence to me. I should have been a bit more careful in my tying as I didn't really think about the effect the size of the head would make on the motion of the fly. Finally Swinger - thanks for bringing it to my attention. I know from tying the Classic Atlantic patterns - it's important for a small head although many times I fail to do it the way it should be. A neatly tied head does make a difference I think. SOOOOO, I had to go to the vise and tie some more to correct my mistakes. Here's my latest although the tag should be a bit shorter and the floss isn't tight up against the tag.  Did'n't see this until the picture came up on my screen. These dang cameras with their macro settings show every little flaw! Guess I'm just being too much of a perfectionist. Gotta get stronger tying glasses.
 

 

Now that's a little too small...you're looking for...Megan Fox...not Kate Moss, not Pam Anderson...a happy medium...

Just messin', obviously. Great looking fly.

give em hell old man

Steely 34, like your flies alot, definately look like erie fish catchers.
 
I have a cousin in eastern canada that ties atlantic salmon flies for part time income, mostly hair wings, buck bugs, and bombers. She is very good at it and has sold classics for up to $250  each.
 
I have tied with her, and a couple things she would suggest regarding your flies would
be:
 
1.  smaller oval tinsel tag, no more than 4 turns
2.  don't crowd the hook eye, head should end right at or just before the point where
     the eye starts to bend up.
 
Really like seeing all the flies posted here, would post some of my own but at present don't have a working digital camera.
 

I think that it is very important to make a small head on your flies. Are all of my heads small? No. I let my mood dictate my flies. If I am tired or dont really want to do it, my flies suffer. If I am feeling it, they come out nice. Do I catch fish on my big heads? Sure. But when I am on the river looking for a player I will pick a small headed fly over a large one any day of the week. Not every fish in the run we are fishing will go after a swung fly. I like to tip the odds a little more in my favor by tossing them a fly that I tied as pretty as I can. Take pride in what you do. We are not force feeding the fish eggs or nymphs. We are not repeatedly bouncing sht off there noses. I can make a fish eat a bare hook with a split shot on it. We are not lining. We are presenting a fly above them, making them move to us. Not the other way around. When you are at the tying bench this is what you want to take into consideration. Shape and movement of the fly. You want your creation to take on a form of a tear drop when in the water. You want the current to gently sway the fibers in your fly. You also want to displace some water or not. You want to entice a reaction strike. In dirtier water the perfect fly is not really needed. You can get away with more in the dark. The fish cant see the fine details, they just see a silhouette. Clear water gives the steelhead more time to see your presentation. Another way to look at it is, it gives them more time to reject it. If more things are done correctly on your fly, I think it increases your chances in getting a grab. Notice I didnt mention color. I honestly think color is not that important. But it is fun for me to play with. Here is a pic of 1 of my boxes from last season. About 90% of those flies produced at least one fish for me last season. Give me 4 of them and I will catch just as many if not more this season. In conclusion do the best you can and always work to improve.