Jim: Another great video. How doo you learn as many patterns as you do?? I'm down here in Bama where we have no trout, hence no actual "lessons" I could take. Luckily, I have friends in fly tying groups who helped me with any of the million questions I had some 14 yrs ago now as well as numerous DVD's and books, but I think that overall I have learned more from your you tube videos than any other source. I'm not saying I'm a gret, or even good tier, but the fish don't seem to mind how my flies look LOL and that's what counts right?? Anyway, keep the videos coming because for every person like myself who often leave these positive feedbacks there are 10 who are silent so you are helping a LOT more ppl than just myself. Thanks my friend. Without ppl like yourself and my other helpful tying friends I'd have had to quit fly tying long ago because with the price of pre tied flies and the fact that my wife, my sons and my grandkids all like to fly fish and I jus wouldn't be able to buy pre tied flies. Tying material prices have gone through the roof, buy they are still a lot cheaper o buy and tie than ar the pre tied flies. Even the "Made in China" 3 to 6 to 12 packs of flies at places like Wal Mart are about $4.95-5.95 per three pack and the way they are tied, after just a few bluegills or bass they fall apart after just a few fish, but tying my own allows me to kinda control the durability. Thanks again, Chuck Alexander
Thanks Chuck, I learned myself by watching videos and reading books. After you get the basics down the rest is just substituting materials. That with a good imagination and observation (big key) of insects on and in the water, you can design flies that work. I only bought flies for about pne month after I started flyfishing. Like you said most bought flies from overseas are only good for a couple fish. I was spending about $8 - $10 a day on flies. (1980's) That was allot for me then. Learning to tie was the only alternative. I'm glad your having fun with it.
Jim: That's true about the basics. I have books that have one chapter that teaches you ONLY tails. Next chapter ONLY bodies. Next chapter ONLY thoraxes. next chapter ONLY wings and so on and so forth. Then you take any recipe you find and you tie the fly based on those basic "how to" chapters. Another thing I do is this. Say I'm going fishing tomorrow and want to tie a few Adams flies today for that trip. But I find that I'm out of calf tails. In that case I just spin the hackles a cpl extra twists for the bouncy lost without the post of calf tail. I've found the fish don't mind/care/realize any difference. They are either feeding that day or they are not LOL... Subbing like that is I guess why Jay Fishy Fullum's book about tying flies using household materials is one of my favorite books. Chuck
