Tweaking Flies
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mgustav wrote:
The high-tie thread got to addressing fine tuning flies. From personal experience, what aspects of a fly are you fine tuning? How do you fine tune a fly? How do you test the fly to see if it is doing what you want it to do?
Tweeking. I will make adjustments to a fly if it doesn't swim straight, if it nose dives and I don't want it to, or the other way around. Sometimes I don't like the motion of the material. I'll tweek by trimming, adding more material, weighting the fly, twisting the hook slightly, etc.
Testing. Anytime I want to see the reaction or color I try it in the pool. I have an in ground pool and it saves me a trip to the beach. I get to see how the fly responds to short retrieves, long retrieves, ect.
Necessary? probably not but it's part of the hobby.
The high-tie thread got to addressing fine tuning flies. From personal experience, what aspects of a fly are you fine tuning? How do you fine tune a fly? How do you test the fly to see if it is doing what you want it to do?
Tweeking. I will make adjustments to a fly if it doesn't swim straight, if it nose dives and I don't want it to, or the other way around. Sometimes I don't like the motion of the material. I'll tweek by trimming, adding more material, weighting the fly, twisting the hook slightly, etc.
Testing. Anytime I want to see the reaction or color I try it in the pool. I have an in ground pool and it saves me a trip to the beach. I get to see how the fly responds to short retrieves, long retrieves, ect.
Necessary? probably not but it's part of the hobby.
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Well....sometimes I don't think so. Think about it. We all could simply tie a cottonball on a hook maybe add a gold bead, and a fish would hit it. Come on, you must remember as a kid drilling a hole in a bottle cap threading a hook on it and catching fish.
My point is......When is it considered an obsession. I enjoy tying flies and fishing them, but is it really nessessary to tweek and test?? My answer.........yes and no.
You already read the "no" part, so here's the "yes" part....I look for the most realistic swim pattern and closest color match I can create, for the bait that's around. That insures a higher hook up/sucess rate. So sometimes I feel that tweeking and testing is nessessary.
My point is......When is it considered an obsession. I enjoy tying flies and fishing them, but is it really nessessary to tweek and test?? My answer.........yes and no.
You already read the "no" part, so here's the "yes" part....I look for the most realistic swim pattern and closest color match I can create, for the bait that's around. That insures a higher hook up/sucess rate. So sometimes I feel that tweeking and testing is nessessary.
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Hi MG,
Good question. I tweak flys because I'm not totally happy with the way it looks or moves in the water. I'm a firm believer in trying to match the profile of the bait.
I tyed up a baitfish pattern with red krystal flash in the throat. It looked nice in my vise, but in the water I was disappointed. Then I tried red bucktail, that was a mistake. Moved onto red marabou. In the water the fly came alive until the first fish destroyed the marabou. Next I tried red artic fox. Success. Great movement in the water. The hair actually surrounds the throat area so it looks like the gills are moving or bleeding, and it can survive many fish.
Every year new materials become available to the fly tyer. I'm always on the lookout for something new that I can incorporate into my flys.
Your 2 squids from the other thread are beautiful. You enjoy tying impressionistic looking flys. My style of tying would be more realistic. Have you ever tried tweaking your squids with eyes? The eyes on a squid are a very prominent feature. How would you affix the eyes without affecting the movement of the feathers? I have a suggestion, but I'll wait for your reply.
BTW: What's your first name?
Harvey
Good question. I tweak flys because I'm not totally happy with the way it looks or moves in the water. I'm a firm believer in trying to match the profile of the bait.
I tyed up a baitfish pattern with red krystal flash in the throat. It looked nice in my vise, but in the water I was disappointed. Then I tried red bucktail, that was a mistake. Moved onto red marabou. In the water the fly came alive until the first fish destroyed the marabou. Next I tried red artic fox. Success. Great movement in the water. The hair actually surrounds the throat area so it looks like the gills are moving or bleeding, and it can survive many fish.
Every year new materials become available to the fly tyer. I'm always on the lookout for something new that I can incorporate into my flys.
Your 2 squids from the other thread are beautiful. You enjoy tying impressionistic looking flys. My style of tying would be more realistic. Have you ever tried tweaking your squids with eyes? The eyes on a squid are a very prominent feature. How would you affix the eyes without affecting the movement of the feathers? I have a suggestion, but I'll wait for your reply.
BTW: What's your first name?
Harvey
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I've been using that basic idea for a squid for a number of years now and find them to be great, even in the day.
For my fishing I choose not to use eyes on nearly all my patterns. When I do use eyes, I only use jungle **** nails for aesthetics. I know many feel strongly about using eyes but I found them to be unnecessary. I will put my money on presentation and excellent line control 90% of the time.
For my fishing I choose not to use eyes on nearly all my patterns. When I do use eyes, I only use jungle **** nails for aesthetics. I know many feel strongly about using eyes but I found them to be unnecessary. I will put my money on presentation and excellent line control 90% of the time.
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Good answer. That's two points I wouldn't have considered because I've never tried fly fishing. I'm a bait fisherman.
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The fluke in my avatar picture were caught on the first teaser I ever tyed.
I started tying teasers for fluking 10 years ago. The more I got into tying, the more I wanted to learn about the art. Someday I'm sure I will try it.
I started tying teasers for fluking 10 years ago. The more I got into tying, the more I wanted to learn about the art. Someday I'm sure I will try it.
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One teaser 18 inches above a silver bullet. Second teaser attached to the silver bullet with a split ring. Original teasers were close in appearance to the one below.
Are you interested in converting to bait fishing?
Fluke were caught on the Capt. Bob IV in Mattituck during the spring run.
Are you interested in converting to bait fishing?
Fluke were caught on the Capt. Bob IV in Mattituck during the spring run.Attachments
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Funny thing about "tweaking" flies is that only the fish can tell you what tweaks really work. Case in point, I tied a fly once that wasn't exactly balanced the way I wanted it to be. Tied it in a hurry and didn't pay too much attention to detail. Actually, to be candid, the darn thing flipped over on retrieve. So in essence, all the belly tones were on top and the wing tones on the bottom and body material upside down. Totally counter to how the profile is supposed to be presented. The bass loved it! I lost count. I still tie the fly like that and use a retrieve that simulates the jerking motion of a wonded baitfish. Presentation, retrieve and creating the "illusion of life"(thank you Kenny Abrames)are more often than notw much more important than the fly!
This post edited by soundflyguy 07:50 AM 01/23/2008
This post edited by soundflyguy 07:50 AM 01/23/2008
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One way I tweak flies is to convert bucktails into feather wings. I find a saddle tied in at the wing not only makes a better profile for many bait fish but the "S" wiggle it makes is a dinner bell for pickey stripers over a straight bucktail fly.
I also like to add a sparse marabou or artic fox throat which again when confronting picky stripes the movement of that throat appears to be pectoral or pelvic fin movement or just something waivering in the current.
I also like to add a sparse marabou or artic fox throat which again when confronting picky stripes the movement of that throat appears to be pectoral or pelvic fin movement or just something waivering in the current.
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I'll come up with a few others I have but here is a conversion of a Ray's Fly (top) with an olive saddle tied in flat at the wing substituting the olive bucktail (middle).
Here is a similar bucktail (bottom) with a not-sparse-enough throat that I further thinned out while fishing. The less the marabou the better to allow it to move freely.
This post edited by mgustav 04:12 PM 01/22/2008
Here is a similar bucktail (bottom) with a not-sparse-enough throat that I further thinned out while fishing. The less the marabou the better to allow it to move freely.
This post edited by mgustav 04:12 PM 01/22/2008
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Nice. Actually, I had just reviewed a chapter in a fly book by Capt. Mike Starke who also has moved toward more breathable synthetics in lieu of the traditional feather and bucktail.
Although you indicate a preference of not placing eyes, there seems to eye equivalents on your flies. What is that?
Also, in what conditions would you go to these sparsely tied deceivers? Shallow flats,beachfront?
thanks
ps the Northshore Flyrodders are planning a tying meeting 2-6-08 in Huntington...you're welcome to join us for the evening.
Although you indicate a preference of not placing eyes, there seems to eye equivalents on your flies. What is that?
Also, in what conditions would you go to these sparsely tied deceivers? Shallow flats,beachfront?
thanks
ps the Northshore Flyrodders are planning a tying meeting 2-6-08 in Huntington...you're welcome to join us for the evening.
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The eyes are Jungle c--- nails. It is a feather traditionaly used for streamer eyes. I think they make a fly beautiful but I don't think they do anything to catch fish.
These flies aren't deceivers they are traditional bucktails. I almost always have a bucktail on my line and they work anywhere.
These flies aren't deceivers they are traditional bucktails. I almost always have a bucktail on my line and they work anywhere.
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