In the latest how-to tying video from Tightline Productions, Tim Flagler walks you through the steps to create a two-tone caddis-larva imitation that looks buggy as heck. He notes than net-spinning caddisflies (of the family Hydropsychidae) . . .
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Video: How to Debarb Hooks Before You Tie
If you like to fish barbless–the value of which is a debate for another day–you’ll find it’s much easier to do a good job mashing the hook barb before you tie the fly. That way, no materials are in the way, and you’re not trying to do . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie the March Brown Emerger
Since it’s the first of March, it seems like a good time to start tying March Browns–even though these mayflies don’t start hatching until mid-May in some parts of the country. On a fishless evening on the Battenkill a few years ago, I had the opportunity to . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Make Hare’s-Ear Dubbing
This week, Tim shows you how to make two kinds of hare’s-ear dubbing–one for abdomens and one for thoraxes. He shows you which parts of the hare’s mask to cut from and the how to blend the different kinds of hairs. You may never want to buy . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Touch-Dub for a Buggy Effect
There are many ways to use dubbing to create bodies, thoraxes, and such on a fly, and each creates a different effect. Here, Tim demonstrates a technique called “touch dubbing,” which . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Create Perfect Hackle-Fiber Tails

Many classic dry-fly and nymph patterns call for tails made from hackle fibers. Here, Tim explains how to choose the right feather, find the best fibers, and strip them from the quill. Then, he has . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Make an Oversize Soft Hackle Work
If you’re tying small Soft Hackle patterns, but the feathers you have are too large, don’t despair. Here’s a great trick for making those oversize soft hackles work by tying them in differently. Tim Shows you how to tie in at the middle of the hook shank and . . .
Read MoreVideo: Barbed vs. Barbless Hooks
Although there are places where regulations require barbless hooks, the decision of whether to go barbed or barbless is usually left to the angler. In this video, Tim Flagler discusses the pros . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie a Corded Midge Larva
The latest how-to video from Tightline Productions, Tim Flagler shows you how to tie an effective midge-larva imitation that looks great in the vise and even better in the water. As usual, Tim has come up with an ingeniously simple method for . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie the Phat and Phunky Pheasant Tail Nymph
The original Pheasant Tail Nymph was tied by English riverkeeper Frank Sawyer in the 1950s, and in the decades since there have been countless variations. Fly tiers can’t help but tinker with patterns that work, trying to squeeze even more trout-catching . . .
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