Do you struggle to tie Comparadun wings? It might be the deer hair you’re using. In this video, Tim shows you how to choose the right hair for the job. There are several options that work well–they stand up, flare, and stay on the top of the hook shank. To . . .
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Video: How to Tie a Quill Body
Many patterns call for quill bodies, and Tim offers a few tricks that will make the process a lot easier and will save you the agony of having the quill split when you wrap it. By choosing the right feather and then preparing it properly (especially the . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie with Hare’s Ear Dubbing
This week, Tim explains how he likes to store, apply, and tie with two kinds of hare’s ear dubbing–the finer body dubbing and the thorax material that contains more guard hairs. If you want your patterns to look as great as Tim’s, you’ll take his . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie the Speedy Sparkle Purple Haze
The Purple Haze–invented by Bitterroot guide Andy Carlson almost two decades ago–has become a staple pattern for many Western anglers. Six years ago, Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions showed us how to tie the standard version of the fly, but . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie-In Bucktail
Tying-in bucktail–for a Clouser Minnow or other hairwing pattern–looks pretty easy, but the results are often less-than-optimal. The wing itself may look good, but the head can be messy and the hairs can fall out. Tim has an easy solution that will make . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie the Dedeaux Snake
Here’s another “guide-fly” lesson from Alvin Dedeaux of All Water Guides. (Or, as he calls them, “super easy to tie, down and dirty, quick and easy, fish-catching guide flies.”) As Alvin says, he doesn’t want to create flies that are complicated or take a long time . . .
Read MoreGuys and Dolls: How to Match the Hendrickson Hatch(es)
Written by: Ted Fauceglia
The female dun is lighter and larger than the male, and the trout will often key on one or the other.
All photos by Ted Fauceglia
For the ardent dry-fly angler, the advent of the spring trout-fishing season stirs feelings of anticipation like nothing else. Sure, dredging weighted stonefly nymphs and Woolly Buggers through winter’s . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie the Black Beauty Midge
Colorado fly-fishing legend Pat Dorsey designed the Black Beauty Midge to mimic what he saw on the water. As quoted in Ed Engle’s Tying Small Flies, Dorsey said, “I came up with the the Black Beauty one day after . . .
Read MoreStep-by-Step: How to Tie the Perfect Santa Claus Fly
A couple of years ago, during the holidays, I scratched out a sketch of a fly that I thought might be a fun tie for the Christmas season. The first few Santas to come off the vise were so hideous . . .
Read MoreHow to Tie Steve Cobb’s Thanksgiving Turkey Fly
The author’s original pattern went viral on social media a few years ago.
All photos by Steve Cobb
Steve Cobb’s Santa Fly has been a favorite on this blog for a few years now, and he was kind enough to show us how to tie it a couple years ago. That post was such a big hit that I asked . . .
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