OT-Any fly tiers on here

shawn_c992001 · Post by **shawn_c992001** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:13 pm

Just wondering how many people roll their own fish getters and critter getters.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:11 pm

Shawn,
I tie, but all of mine is for salt water. I use only Clousers for everything. I vary the size and the color.
I've only been freshwater trout fishing one time in Helen, Ga and I caught 5 of them in the 18-22" range. they were monsters.

crs · Post by **crs** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:12 pm

My dad , brothers, and I all tied our own flies. I fly fished for perch, bass, and trout from mid teens through college, but job travel. sports cars, Big D ladies, and shooting just crowded out the fly fishing. Guess I will go back to it when I get too old to bust birds or bucks (ladies and sports cars are long gone).

Bob A · Post by **Bob A** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:10 pm

I've been tying my trout flies for years. Nothing fancy but I find that the trout in the Sierra Nevada are pretty agressive and will strike just about any well presented fly. The key for me is seeing the fly on the water. That's why I use alot of white upwings. I need lots of visibility. Same reason I use a scope with most of my rifles.

Bob A

95fan · Post by **95fan** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:09 pm

I have been tying for years, although lately I have not had any spare time to do so. For a while a few years back I tied for some of the local shops around here.

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:09 pm

I tie my own.

AndyM · Post by **AndyM** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 7:01 am

I tried years ago and just could not get them to look right - I could do buggers and some others that were easy- but make me do an Adams or caddies and there was no way I could make it look buggy. I finally gave up and starting buying - plus I did not want fly tying tools taking up space on my reloading bench.

k8bor · Post by **k8bor** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:34 am

I tie my own. Seldom do they look like what their supposed to, but as long as the shape is somewhat right and they are hairy, most of them do pretty well. I make sure the floaters have enough "wing" to keep them up and they do pretty well too.

lever-4-life · Post by **lever-4-life** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:21 pm

I tie my own, but i also buy some. One of my corny little things is going to the local fly shops in the areas that I travel to fish and buying two "house flys" (flys that only come from that area or that particular shop) One to fish with

and one to keep in a collection with the info on where it came from.

k8bor · Post by **k8bor** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:25 pm

Lever4life,

Very pragmatic approach. I live 1/2 mile from the AuSable here in MI, and the trout are about as selective as you can get. I should also state that I too, buy flys when fishing that river, as "the hatch" changes almost week-to-week, and sometimes the differences are so subtle I can't tell what they are.

I do, however tie all my "warm water" flies for bass, gills, etc.

TNBigBore · Post by **TNBigBore** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:51 pm

I used to tie my own for mountain trout, stuff like Adams parchutes, elk hair caddis, Thunderheads and bead head stuff for the tailwaters. I have not tied one in at least 10 years, but still have hundreds left from when I did. It is a lot of fun and satisfying, but does not work well with several pairs of extra hands (7, 2 and 1) all "helping".

shawn_c992001 · Post by **shawn_c992001** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:38 pm

TNBigBore you'll probably miss all those little hands later on. Just get them their own rods and let them have at it.

Quick Karl · Post by **Quick Karl** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:38 pm

I tie Clousers and Deceivers for my trips to Tampa. FL and when I get to Texas to visit my niece, which isn't as often as I'd like - I'm a Speckled Sea Trout lover!

I tried throwing at Trout but here in AZ it's like fishing for bait - all hatchery fish and all the same teeny lil size. I've caught a few 4-5 lb bass in Roosevelt but the last few years the lake been so low it's just ugly to fish.

shawn_c992001 · Post by **shawn_c992001** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:06 pm

My Father-In-Law and I have a trip planned for this weekend to Cherokee Lake in TN. for some striper fishing. I'm going to take my 8wt. and see if I can out fish him with spinning tackle. I'm also going to have my spinning rod in there and so I don't get shunked too bad.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:50 pm

Shawn,

Someone sent me a picture one time of a fly that was basically a Clouser that was tied using pink bucktail on top. They called it a pink wonder. You might try a few of them and see what happens. when I tie a clouse I usually tie them as long as the material I'm using will allow and carry a pair of scissors with me to trim it to the need at hand when I find out how big the baitfish are where I am.

k8bor · Post by **k8bor** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:18 am

Nice tip Rusty.

de k8bor

dave

GANJIRO · Post by **GANJIRO** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:19 am

Opposite end of my reloading bench is my fly tying bench with vise mount and accessories nearby. I've tied small shrimp imitations to catch smallmouths in the streams but most of what I tie are larger streamers for saltwater gamesters, i'll post pics when I find them.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:30 pm

I guess I kind of have tunnel vision when it comes to flies. The only thing I tie is Clousers cause they work so well with just a few variations. I've even used bead chain for the eyes on a small hook to catch bluegill. In My mind it's still a Clouser.

Dave, the reason they call the pink one "the Pink Wonder" is because it's a wonder it catches anything.

shawn_c992001 · Post by **shawn_c992001** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:55 pm

I don't know I've caught alot of bass on "Bubblegum" color stuff, like jigs, sluggo's, and even a Zara Spook. Trout even seem to like a small 1/16th oz. jig with a fuzzy marabou tail.

geobru · Post by **geobru** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:25 pm

I've tied flies for over three decades. Started out tying steelhead and salmon flies because they are bigger and easier to tie, and were more expensive to buy. After that, I started tying trout flies which also work for all kinds of things like bass, perch, blue gill, catfish, suckers, whitefish, carp and turtles.

I found out early on that people are a lot more attracted to flies that look perfect than fish are. If the size and color are close to what the fish are eating, you will catch fish. Before I started to fly fish, I thought you had to be an expert to catch fish. I caught eight trout in a couple of hours the first time I tried it and I was hooked!!

It has been a great way to spend time with my kids. One of my sons learned to cast in our front yard. He practiced every night for three months when he was ten years old. He had blisters on his hands from whipping that pole back and forth so many times. I took him to a favorite beaver pond to give him a shot at some fish and he caught three trout before I got my first one! Great times.

claybob86 · Post by **claybob86** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:37 pm

I tie wet flies and nymphs but buy most of the the dry flies. Been hard to find time for it in recent years, though.