This week,Tim talks about why he loves using pine squirrel in streamer patterns. The material is relatively inexpensive, has fine markings that imitate baitfish, and it undulates in the water nicely. Try tying your favorite patterns, substituting pine . . .
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Video: How to Tie an Isonychia Harrop’s Hairwing Dun
Rene Harrop is one of the West’s iconic fly tiers, starting his small business–along with his wife, Bonnie–in 1968 on the banks of the Henrys Fork. He designed the Hairwing Dun in the 1980s while fishing the Firehole in Yellowstone National Park, and it . . .
Read MoreVideo: How and Why to Use Maximum Thread Tension
In this great video, Tim explains why he believes that thread tension is the key to improving the quality, look, and durability of your flies, and then he sets about showing how to achieve this level of tension. From adjusting your bobbin to bracing the . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie Jeff Blood’s White Death
In this week’s video from Tightline Productions, Tim Flagler walks you through the process of tying the White Death streamer, created by Pennsylvania angler Jeff Blood. It’s a simple pattern that imitates a variety of species of shiner, which are . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie a Simple, Effective Redfish Fly
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 . . .
Read MoreVideo: How and Why to Use a Hackle Guard
One of the more annoying things in fly fishing is when it’s hard to thread your tippet through the eye of a fly because there are hackle fibers in the way. Hackles too close to the eye can be a problem at the vise, as well, because they can become . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie the Conehead Bunny Muddler
In this great video, Tim ties a heavily weighted slinky version of the Muddler, featuring a tungsten cone and plenty of lead-free wire. The bunny tail and rubber legs offer plenty of lifelike motion, and two kinds of flash material add to the pattern’s . . .
Read MoreVideo: 3 Ways to Tie-In Dry-Fly Hackle
In this week’s video, Tim demonstrates three different methods for attaching dry-fly hackle. He starts with the most basic, traditional method, then shows how to improve on that in two ways. Each method has its place, but it’s always good to . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Tie the Turbo Beetle
Late summer into early fall is a great time to fish beetle patterns for trout, bass, and panfish. The big hatches of summer are usually over, and the fish know that terrestrials provide a lot of nutrition. In this great video from Tim Flagler of Tightline . . .
Read MoreVideo: How to Choose Beads and Cones for Fly Tying

Beads and cones come in a dizzying array of sizes, weights, colors, and shapes. So how do you figure out which kind you need? In this short video, Tim offers some useful tips for choosing the . . .
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