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Fly Tying
Creating your own flies from feathers, hair and much more

Matching Major Eastern Hatches

Book Review: Henry Ramsay has given us a peak inside his fly box and shared with us his rationale for how and why he has developed his fly patterns. To a fly tyer, that is pure gold. It is chock full of good ideas, sound angling theory, and easily digestible fly tying concepts. There are flies in here that I will try.
Read the review here

My first flies

Beginner: I honestly don't remember exactly how many years ago I started tying flies, but a rough calculation says about 30 years. A lot has happened since then - luckily!
See some of them here
This link takes you to "Streamers 365"

Streamers 365
Jump to "Classic Salmon Fly Patterns"

Classic Salmon Fly Patterns
Click to see "Discovering the Marbury Lake Flies"

Discovering the Marbury Lake Flies
Jump to "The Flies that Catch Fish"

The Flies that Catch Fish
Click to go to "Mayflies and More"

Mayflies and More
Go to "Alan Petrucci Streamers"

Alan Petrucci Streamers
Go to the article "How to submit a pattern to GFF"

How to submit a pattern to GFF
Skip to "Oatman's Silver Darter"

Oatman's Silver Darter
More about "The Fish & The Fly Q&A"

The Fish & The Fly Q&A
Skip to "Everyday Fly Tying Tips"

Everyday Fly Tying Tips
Go to "Essential Saltwater Flies"

Essential Saltwater Flies
See "Plu Stiniog" by clicking here

Plu Stiniog
Videos with "Fly Tying - Creating your own flies from feathers, hair and much more" - More videos
Blue Fox Variant
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The Blue Fox Variant resembles both The Editor Fly and a Blue Fox lure. It fishes well for Summer Steelhead on a floating or sinking tip line when swung down and across.
Tarpon Toad
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Tarpon Toad Fly Tying Instructions Directions and How To Tie Tutorial
Winged Ant
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Hook: Partridge SUD #14, Thread: Benecchi 12/0, black, Abdomen: Yorkshire Fly-body fur, black (or substitute, such as Wapsi SLF), Thorax: Yorkshire Fly-body fur, black (or substitute), Legs: Moose body hair, crinkled, Wing/sighter: Z-lon, light silver
Giant Pike Flies
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See the new Tubeology system in use. Josh Nugent from Fly Nation demonstrates how to tie an effective pike and muskie fly pattern using Tubeology tubes & Tubeology Predator Hair.
Tarpon Toad Fly
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A classical "flat head" tarpon fly, which is found in many variations
Pepefly- Tina Intruder Tube Fly Orange
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Hi friends, My name is José "Pepefly" Borzi I´m professional tyer from Ushuaia-Tierra del Fuego- Argentina, this is my first tying video I hope you enjoy it!!! Good Fishing! Pepefly.
Lumi
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Hook: Tiemco 202SP #4, Thread: Benecchi 12/0, black, Rib: Round tinsel, fine, gold, Tail: Lady Amherst tippet barbs, dyed golden - tied short, Abdomen: Muskrat underfur, Thorax: Seal's fur, yellow and grey mixed, Wing: Muskrat guard hairs, Hackle: Whiting Coq de Leon hen shoulder feather, medium pardo
Fritz Shrimp
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Step by step tutorial of how to tie the Fritz Shrimp.
Early Black Stone Fly
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Quick easy dry stonefly pattern. Can also be tied in brown, or yellow for when the yellow sally's hatch in the summer.
DHE 2.0 (Deer Hair Emerger 2.0)
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Bob Wyatt's updated DHE. Hook: Partridge GRS 6A #12, Thread: Uni-thread 6/0, Brown, Rib: Tying thread, Abdomen: Hare, dyed olive (or color , to match the natural), Wing/shoulder: Deer hair, natural, Thorax: Hare's ear, natural, Note: To fish, apply paste floatant to wing and thorax only - the abdomen should ride below the film.
Kite's Imperial
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Materials Used; Hook, Kamasan B170 size14, Thread, Purple Pearsalls Silk, Tail, Honey or Rusty Dun Cock Fibres, Rib, Fine Gold or Copper Wire, Body and Thorax, Natural Grey Turkey/Sooty Slate, Hackle, Honey or Rusty Dun Cock
Gotcha
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Tying the fantastic Gotche. But hey, don't cut off the bead chain eyes before you tie them in! Make life easier to yourself...
Moto's Minnow Streamer
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Detailed instructions for tying a Moto's Minnow streamer.
Damselfly Nymph
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Fly tying insturctions on how to tie a damselfly nymph with Maria Rivas.
Bluegill Olive Soft Hackle
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Another great pan fish fly. Can also be tied in any color. Tied it weighted if you want to fish deeper water in the 5 to 10 foot range.
Rune's Libell nymph/RS Dragon
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This is an attempt on Rune's (Stokkebekk) Libellnymfe/RS Dragon. Before tying, I had tied 5 strands of antron yarn together with regular sowing thread.
Black & Green
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A back and green salmon fly on a tube
Bluegill Popper
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CDC Klinkhammer
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This is a twist on the original Klinkhammer Special. Both the post and hackle are made from CDC. This pattern sits nicely on the water's surface. The CDC hackle undulates and adds movement to the fly. The black color scheme works well in mid to late summer when an increasing number of terrestrial insects find their way onto the water's surface.
Non-descript softhackle
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A simple soft hackle wet fly with a one-strand flash material body and rib

About "Fly Tying - Creating your own flies from feathers, hair and much more" from Blog Creek – GFF's weblog
· Intimidated by a streamer - I wanted to tie a Carrie Stevens, Rangerly style New England streamer, but was surprised how hard it actually was
· Clouser hook - A great tip for Clousers
· Amazing flies - Irish Open Flytying Championship has delivered some beautifult flies

  
 Go to Pike Flies
Pike Flies
Large and gaudy flies for pike and musky. All our best pike patterns and how to tie them.
  
 Go to Shrimp fly theme
Shrimp fly theme
A Global FlyFisher theme page about how to tie the best shrimp fly patterns. All o8ur best articles on shrimp fly patterns.
  
 Go to Wooly Bugger Patterns
Wooly Bugger Patterns
Woolly Buggers, Baby Buggers, Wooly Worms - one of the most common, popular, effective. easiest and widespread patterns in the world. All our best articles on Woolly Buggers.
  
 Go to Yellow Marabou Special
Yellow Marabou Special
While tying up a batch of streamers for a fly swap, GFF partner Bob Petti remembered an old tinsel trick that reduced some of the hand cramping thread wrapping that is all too common with long shanked streamers.
  
 Go to Favorite Streamer Swap
Favorite Streamer Swap
There's nothing like a good fly swap to get the fly tying knuckles cracked, the creative juices flowing again. The reasons for joining a swap are many - but for me it's fun to tie flies for something other than my fly boxes, and I truly enjoy the friendship and comraderie that comes with participating in a swap. It's not about who ties the best flies or who has the best feathers.
  
 Go to Kern's Perfect Leo Shrimp
Kern's Perfect Leo Shrimp
A realistic, perfect swimming shrimp imitation for both hot and cold water and a big variety of species. The fly has many neat details and is a great upgrade from those quickly tied flies. It makes your fly box look great and keeps you away from the TV.
  
 Go to Brown Spinner
Brown Spinner
An old, no-fashion dry fly. The one, that GFF partner Kasper tied right after having learned to tie the Red Tag Palmer and the one, that gave him many of his first dry fly experiences some twenty years ago, when it all started for him together with his grandfather.
  
 Go to Jan's Giant Buzzers
Jan's Giant Buzzers
I have always loved fishing buzzers for many years for trout, its just my favorite way of fly fishing except perhaps daddylonglegs. Most of my fishing is on reservoirs sometimes desolate windy rough places, where buzzers come into their own.
  
 Go to Classics
Classics
Tying flies not meant for fishing sounds odd to some but dragging others into the world of advanced techniques. Anders Ovesen takes us into his cave of threads and feathers and reveals some puzzles needed to tie da old school style. Hang on to this detailed description and fly to the 
  
 Go to Jiggy
Jiggy
A jigging fly for almost any predatory fish originated by Bob Popvics. After a trip to Danish island Bornholm in 2007 Kasper Mühlbach wanted to tie and try this successful pattern and ordered a special color. But someone else came first and bought his custom dyed bucktail.
  
 Go to Fly Fishing and Fly Tying II
Fly Fishing and Fly Tying II
Many people complain that there is nothing new to say about fly fishing - that new books are just updates to old ideas. That may be true if you read only about fishing in your area. This book was written by anglers in the Czech Republic, and it was chock full of good advice and fresh ideas.
  
 Go to Jan's Emerger
Jan's Emerger
Another new pattern from Jan Grandal-Johansen, this time a buzzer emerger that fishes well on the reservoirs in the UK. Those hackle tip wings are just killer.
  
 Go to Good, Bad, and Ugly
Good, Bad, and Ugly
Having wrapped my share of thread over the years, I thought it was time to revisit a long held interest of mine - traditional salmon flies. My first attempt years ago was pretty disappointing, and I was hoping my skills had evolved enough for me to take that next step and produce a better result.
  
 Go to IFTS 2007
IFTS 2007
The International Fly Tying Symposium was held on November 17th and 18th in Somerset, New Jersey. As usual, the place was wall-to-wall fly tyers, tying everything from giant saltwater streamers to trout flies. Streamers, salmon flies, you name it - someone was tying it.
  
 Go to Jan's GP
Jan's GP
One day, while fishing my favourite water, Barnsfold in Lancashire, which is surrounded on one large side with a good head of pine trees round the reservoir, I noticed quite a few terrestrials being blown on to the water. The trout were going crazy for them.
  
 Go to Monster's Bug
Monster's Bug
The tendency is, that flies become smaller and smaller trying to fool the fish. We end up using 7X, size 24 hooks and stealth moves on the river banks. Sometimes you need to go the opposite way, if you want a big fish at end of your tippet.
  
 Go to Wiggle Jig Worm
Wiggle Jig Worm
Maybe you found the previously published tandem rag worm too tandemnised and would be better off with a one-hook-only fly.Then The Wiggling Jigging Worm shown in this article is a good alternative.
  
 Go to The Rise
The Rise
"The Rise" is Paul Schullery's latest book where he digs into many theories of fly fishing. With his typical well researched style, Schullery takes up an issue and heads to the library, figuratively if not literally. It is not only exceedingly well researched, it's a good read.
  
 Go to Clousers Flies
Clousers Flies
The bulk of the book deals with the different fly patterns that Bob has developed over the years, including of course the classic Clouser Deep Minnow, as well as some variations such as the Fir Strip Clouser, Rattle Clouser, Super Hair Deep Minnow, Half and Half, and so on.
  
 Go to Yellowstone Ties
Yellowstone Ties
Bob Jacklin is one of a handful of true legends in Fly Tying, and certainly needs no introduction here. In this DVD, he ties six of his favorite flies for fishing western trout waters - Grey Wulff, Royall Wulff, March Brown Nymph, Green Drake, Platte River Special, and Great Western Stonefly.
  
 Go to Practical Fly Patterns
Practical Fly Patterns
In this two volume set of DVDs, Charlie Meck, one of the most prolific writers in all of fly fishing, and Eric Stroup, professional guide and fly tyer, demonstrate some of their favorite patterns for fishing the famed spring creeks of Pennsylvania.
  
 Go to Eyes of Epoxy
Eyes of Epoxy
Tired of buying eyes, that make your shrimps look great? They are expensive and yet it is hard to find the color you want or the right size. It is not complicated and a good pursuit during winter time. Make your own in all sizes and colors you want.
  
 Go to A Passion for Steelhead
A Passion for Steelhead
Dec Hogan is well known in the fly fishing world as a master of the two-handed fly rod, but until I picked up "A Passion for Steelhead" I did not know much about Dec Hogan the angler. 313 pages later, that surely has changed.
  
 Go to Bergman
Bergman
Converting a fly from one form to another is certainly an educational process, as it requires you to look at materials in a new way, especially the wing materials. A wet fly that calls for a wing of mallard flank or mottled turkey has no obvious equivalent in a hairwing.
  
 Go to Streamer Flies for Trophy Trout
Streamer Flies for Trophy Trout
Kelly Galloup, author of "Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout", brings us a new DVD where he ties some of the flies from his book. With each fly, Kelly takes the time to explain the materials and techniques used to construct the fly, and we see every step along the way.
  
 Go to Fishys Favorites
Fishys Favorites
Jay "Fishy" Fullum is no stranger to readers of Fly Tyer and other flyfishing magazines. In fact, he's recently been named as the "artist in residence" for that magazine. It should come as no surprise, then, that Fishy's book relies on his art to tell the story of his flies.
  
 Go to Hen Hackle
Hen Hackle
Awhile back, I received a shipment of hen necks and saddles from Whiting Farms. The saddles struck me with their intense colors and solid web, then necks with their stem length and shortish barbs. These feathers were perfect for the wet flies I was working on.
  
 Go to S&L's Lost Flies
S&L's Lost Flies
Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman's book "Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon" has inspired fly tyers for the 24 years since it's publication in 1982. Here, finally, we get to see some of the patterns listed in the back of the book that did not have supporting photographs.
  
 Go to Nothing...
Nothing...
Sometimes trout and grayling sip "nothing" from the surface. You have tried the smallest parachute in your fly box - size 18. What they are taking is much smaller. You look again into your fly box, and right - there is no "Nothing" there.
  
 Go to TMC Wingburner
TMC Wingburner
Tired of making wings with too many divertions from time to time? See if the new tool from TMC can help you burn the wings perfectly every time or if you still have to fold and cut like an used hair dresser.
  
 Go to CDC Mayfly
CDC Mayfly
A small mayfly, which may be (mis)taken for a dun during the sometimes the concentreted hatches on late August and Septemper evenings. It uses a hollow extended body, parachute hackle and wings of cdc stems to float high.
  
 Go to Wasp Year
Wasp Year
It has been a hot and dry summer in Scandinavia. Wasps have been a plague in many areas. They have been in every apple, every drink and every house. Some of them may have crossed a stream or river, winding up on the surface before continueing the rush. Some of them never left again.
  
 Go to Wingless Wets
Wingless Wets
On a shelf in the shop was a little book that was propped open. It was Leisenring and Hidy's The Art of Tying The Wet-Fly and Fishing The Flymph. Inside, I found a treasure of patterns and some fishing instructions and I suddenly switched gears and began fishing these great little flies.
  
 Go to Creative Fly Tying
Creative Fly Tying
While there are only 12 chapters in the book, each chapter is a gold mine of fly tying information. Each chapter takes us along for a ride on the development of the pattern, the genesis often being some frustrating fishing trips which make for some enjoyable reading.
  
 Go to A New Generation
A New Generation
The book opens with a biography of Scott as it pertains to his involvement in the fly fishing industry. To this desk jockey - his life seems pretty darn cool. I mean - who doesn't dream of working in a fly shop, 100% immersed in fly fishing on a daily basis?
  
 Go to Classic Wet Flies
Classic Wet Flies
Wet flies have been around as long as fly fishing itself. Are they starting to see a renaissance? In fly tying circles at least, that may be the case, as tyers look for new challenges and new sources of inspiritaion.
  
 Go to Czech Nymphing
Czech Nymphing
The principle of nymph-fishing with Czech nymph is short-distance fishing, practically under the tip of the rod. The flyline is hanging under the tip of the rod and its end often does not even touch the water level.
  
 Go to Tribute to MOM
Tribute to MOM
The flies Mary documented were, invariably, ornate wet flies. They were, and are, the legacy of centuries of British salmon fly design spiced by the natural resources and original thinking available to their American interpreters.
  
 Go to My Eyes!!
My Eyes!!
Painting eyes on streamers is nothing new, but as with any other tying procedure, there are some tricks that can help, and some pitfalls that should be avoided. This article shows you how to do it on-the-cheap with readily available materials.
  
 Go to The Cautery
The Cautery
Martin Joergensen writes: "I always wanted one of these tools. I have seen them used at fly tying shows and by a few tyers elsewhere, and found the tool to be an excellent companion for the lazy and sloppy fly tyer. Just my kind of tool!"
  
 Go to Surf Candy
Surf Candy
Experimenting with epoxy might glue you to the tying bench for hours, days, weeks. You can make highly durable, translucent baitfish imitations using synthetics and epoxy. Some years ago Bob Popovic's book "Pop Fleyes" introduced Kasper Mühlbach to the Surf Candy.
  
 Go to Flexible bench
Flexible bench
German Jan-Ole Willers wanted to be able to clear his vice, tools and materials off the dining table for such unimportant events as lunch and dinner. That made him think out and build his own inexpensive portable fly tying bench. You can do the same.
  
 Go to Tying Station
Tying Station
A tying station is a small, mobile board where you can set up your vise and your tools, making it quick and easy to move your favorite tying spot around: from the dinner table to the TV to the office to... the bed? This article gives you some ideas on how to make one.
  
 Go to Fill-the-box
Fill-the-box
"I have severely neglected my day-to-day flybox for more than a year" writes GFF partner Martin Joergensen. Now he sets out to fill a box with hundreds of sea trout flies in preparation for the coming spring. He envisions rows of uniform and neatly arranged flies.
  
 Go to Essential Patterns
Essential Patterns
It's clear at this point that if Oliver's name is attached to a product, then the quality is going to be high. That is certainly true of these new DVDs. He's a good story teller, a great fly tyer, and an exceptional teacher.
  
 Go to Bates' Art
Bates' Art
Better late than never could be one way of putting it when you review a book originally published in 1989. Joseph D. Bates, author of the masterpiece Streamers, also wrote "The art of the Salmon Fly", which GFF partner Martin Joergensen has bought and read.
  
 Go to Spey & Dee
Spey & Dee
GFF partner Martin Joergensen writes: "...the often lightly dressed Dee and Spey flies with their long and swung back hackles and low riding wings are just soooo fishy!". That's why he finds John Shewey's book "Spey Flies and Dee Flies - Their History & Construction" interesting.
  
 Go to New Streamers
New Streamers
Converting a classic salmon fly to hairwing form has been done for many years among salmon anglers. Recently, the gang on the streamers@ mailing list tried their hand at converting classic salmon patterns to trout flies.
  
 Go to Streamers
Streamers
This book is touted mainly as an instructional guide to tying the various styles of classic freshwater streamers. The hardcover layout is nice and easy on the eyes, with large color photos. It begins with some groundwork for tying streamers.
  
 Go to New Hooks
New Hooks
Partridge has come out with a new line of trout hooks called "Flashpoint". Most fly tyers are hook junkies, and Bob Petti is no exception, so he jumped at the chance to review these new hooks.
  
 Go to Innovative Saltwater Flies
Innovative Saltwater Flies
US based master fly tyer Bob Veverka has gathered together a whole bunch of very creative fly tyers to create a book that will appeal to all fly tyers, not just those who want to chase salty fish.
  
 Go to New Stuff
New Stuff
It all started when I had to toss my bottle of Pharamcist's Formula in the trash. Scanning the net for a suitable replacement, I found a husband and wife team that are producing a bunch of interesting products for fly fishers and tyers.
  
 Go to Hornbergs
Hornbergs
The Hornberg can be cast out upstream and drifted as a dry fly. It can be pulled under the surface and stripped as a streamer. Is it a caddis? Stonely? A minnow? In early '01, a bunch of guys swapped their favorite Hornberg patterns.
  
 Go to Spey Fly book
Spey Fly book
I have admired Bob's tying for quite some time - as I always considered him one of those rare tyers whose flies are museum quality beautiful, yet they have the sleekness and symmetry of a well tied fishing fly
  
 Go to Tying Small Flies
Tying Small Flies
Ed Engle has given us a real gem of a book on the art and science of small flies and small fly tying. Bob Petti thinks this is one of those rare books that will stand the test of time and be a major influence on fly fishers and fly tyers.
  
 Go to Tour de France
Tour de France
GFF partner Martin Joergensen has let one of his favorite sports events, the bicycling race Tour de France, inspire a way of tying flies. He argues why tying many identical flies can be a good thing - and can be better than tying many different flies.
  
 Go to Danish Pastry Fly
Danish Pastry Fly
This fly recently changed its name from The Copper Camel to The Danish Pastry Fly for reasons that are revealed in the article. It's an efficient and simple pattern for sea trout, but is very likely to be just as able to catch bass, bonefish and many other species.
  
 Go to Prince Nymphs
Prince Nymphs
Mike Hogue drops by and offers us some variations of one of the all time popular trout flies - the Prince Nymph. By adding "a little flash and glamour", we have a few new things to try the next time we're getting skunked and want to try something different.
  
 Go to Contemporary Saltwater Flies
Contemporary Saltwater Flies
David Klausmeyer is the latest author of a book on tying flies for saltwater fly fishing. His book, Tying Contemporary Saltwater Flies, offers excellent fly tying instruction as well as an impressive reference of fly patterns.
  
 Go to Imitative Fly Tying
Imitative Fly Tying
Ian Moutter is back with a followup to "Tying Flies the Paraloop Way". Consider this an applied fly tying book, as you not only learn how to tie the flies, but also how they were designed, why they were designed, and how they may be fished.
  
 Go to Bert Quimby
Bert Quimby
Another entry in the continuing series of features highlighting the flies of the founders of the art of streamer tying. Bert Quimby is not as well known as many, but his flies are just as beautiful and original.
  
 Go to LL Bean Book
LL Bean Book
The L.L. Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing is comprised of three previously published books - Dave Whitlock's Fly-Fishing Handbook, Macauley Lord's Fly-Casting Handbook, and Dick Talleur's Fly-Tying Handbook, all well known L.L. Bean publications.
  
 Go to Stalcup's Mayflies
Stalcup's Mayflies
Shane's book is devoted to imitations imitations of each major stage of mayfly development - nymph, emerger, adult, and spinner - top to bottom as he says. For each section, he offers up several patterns, each with a introductory essay, step-by-step tying instructions, and a list of variations.
  
 Go to Fall Streamers
Fall Streamers
Looking for some juicy streamers to swing in your favorite trout stream or pond in the coming Fall? Check out these attractive flies from a streamer swap hosted by Scott Daskiewich.
  
 Go to Wadington shanks
Wadington shanks
Classics in a classic way. These flies may look like something of today, but the concept of Wadington shanks is old as Methusalem. Danish fly tyer Niels Have has converted four classics to effective flies for early salmon and sea trout fishing. See the pictures and patterns.
  
 Go to Fly gallery 2002
Fly gallery 2002
A few fly portraits for your sore eyes
  
 Go to A portable fly tying kit
A portable fly tying kit
In the most simplistic terms, a flytying kit must only have the tools and materials necessary to tie the flies you may use on a single trip or a single river. However, like most of us, a travelling flytying kit consumes more space than 26 high-schoolers crammed in a Volkswagen Beetle.
  
 Go to Beginner's luck
Beginner's luck
European authors Chris Mann and Terry Griffiths angle for a new spin on beginner flytying books. With barely a photograph and just a small piece on materials and tools, see why this book gets a rare score on the GFF Review scale. GFF partner Steve Schweitzer reviews the book.
  
 Go to Flash tail
Flash tail
This simple method is also applicable for many other materials and situations. One that immediately comes to mind is the precise placement of tinsels or floss.
  
 Go to Good floss work
Good floss work
I've developed a habit instilled in me by my salmonfly tying mentors. When evaluating the salmon fly dressings of others, I look at the floss work first. It is a key characteristic that determines and shows the skills of the cream of the crop.
  
 Go to Hyperclomplete guide to fly tying
Hyperclomplete guide to fly tying
There are many intended uses for this guide, namely as reference to ensure you have a fairly complete compendium as to what you will need to get started in flytying or to use when dropping the perfect holiday gift hint. But more importantly, it is meant for the budding fly tyer, in hopes that the years of wisdom gained through trial and error from myself and my tying buddies will steer the newcomer down the right path
  
 Go to Thread control
Thread control
If you ever saw skilled tyers tie, you'll probably have noticed that many of them keep spinning the bobinholder more or less vividly every time the let go of it. If you didn't notice, try looking the next time you see a 'pro' tie.
  
 Go to Whip fisnish with your hands
Whip fisnish with your hands
Whip finishing without a tool is not at all difficult. Lots of people use and praise the whip finishing tool which comes in many variations.
  
 Go to FlyMeister 2001
FlyMeister 2001
The Global FlyFisher and The International Fly Tying Symposium have finished the tough voting in the first ever FlyMeister fly tying contest!
  
 Go to Deep in my heart
Deep in my heart
Deep in my heart, I prefer stream flyfishing for trout. However, Holland has precious few trout class streams, and next to none fishable trout, so most of my local flyfishing is for warmwater species. In fact all of my stream trout fishing happens abroad, mainly in the States, as well as in Belgium and Denmark.
  
 Go to Applying dubbing
Applying dubbing
Dubbing must be said to be one of the most universal fly tying methods. Dubbing is mostly used for bodies, but will often form other parts of the fly as well. Using different materials and tighter or looser dubbing along with different techniques, can result in an amazing variety of body shapes and textures.
  
 Go to Better tinsel bodies
Better tinsel bodies
How to tie a nice, even, ribbed tinsel body. Here's one way. The description assumes that you want a silver body. If you want gold, just replace 'silver' with 'gold' below.
  
 Go to Blend your own dubbing
Blend your own dubbing
Almost everyone has the right stuff at their tying bench to make a great batch of dubbing. But not many people know they have everything they need to make an outstanding seal�s fur dubbing substitute. This dubbing is a viable replacement for SLF, angora goat and seal�s fur, and the trick to making it is so simple it will amaze you!
  
 Go to Deceivers
Deceivers
A recent article in Fly Tyer magazine sparked quite a debate on the streamer list about the use of this popular and effective saltwater fly in fresh water. The debate found the authors "defending" the fresh water deceiver and prompted us to write a small 
Dyeing material
This small section with advice on dyeing fly tying materials was made after a discussion took place on the European fly fishing mailing lis. The text was put together from input from several people of this list: Graham Ward, John Davies, Pat Orpen and myself.
  
 Go to Fatal Attraction
Fatal Attraction
Dan Blanton's Fatal Attraction Part wet fly and part streamer, it has all the obnoxious flash of a Mepps spinner in the water, and it's just as effective. By Bob Petti
  
 Go to GFF partner Bob Petti, USA
GFF partner Bob Petti, USA
One of the GFF partners
  
 Go to Hook anatomy
Hook anatomy
Let's look at a hook, and try to put the right terms on the right parts. This picture shows a hook (note that it actually is a rare vertical eye hook, great for this purpose).
  
 Go to Rotary vices
Rotary vices
This section of Tie Better will deal with rotary fly tying vices. I will try to explain what a true rotary vice is, what its advatnages are and how it can be used in different steps of fly tying.
  
 Go to The Salmon Fly Proportion, Design & Layout Guide
The Salmon Fly Proportion, Design & Layout Guide
The first rule of salmonfly tying is preparation...gathering your materials, laying them out and sizing up the situation. If you are like me, many times you will have one material that is just a touch too short and you scramble to make it fit. But in the long run, it will never fit and the fly that you meticulously hovered over for many precious hours has that major flaw. More importantly, you'll never be happy with the finished product. If only you had pre-planned and sized up your materials ahead of time.
  
 Go to Tying the Matuka style
Tying the Matuka style
Who would have guessed that a fly tied to fish the lakes of New Zealand would have such an impact all around the world?
  
 Go to Chris Edghills salt water patterns
Chris Edghills salt water patterns
A selection of saltwater patterns from Chris Edghill
Bobs Garage
There is a story behind "The Garage". Not too long ago my wife and I were renting a two story house that had a tiny little room upstairs with no closet. Since we already had a spare bedroom for family visitors, this room was quickly claimed as the "Sports Room".
George F. Grant’s Flies
George F. Grant's flies utilize some very special techniques.
  
 Go to Woodduck Flank
Woodduck Flank
I have to admit a particular fondness for woodduck flank. Ever since I was given my first baggie of feathers from a duck hunting friend, I was smitten. The color - the texture - the barring of the feathers.
  
 Go to Wet fly hackle
Wet fly hackle
Learn to tie a really classical wet fly hackle.
  
 Go to Fisker tube tool
Fisker tube tool
This Danish tool might be an alternative. In spite of some minor drawbacks, it's a very good tool at a very reasonable price.
  
 Go to Chilli Pepper Flies
Chilli Pepper Flies
So you thought that chilli pepper was a small, strong, spicey fruit? Well, it is... but it's also a seemingly popular name for fishing flies. In the past I have come over no less than three patterns with the name Chilli Pepper.
  
 Go to EZ quintet
EZ quintet
EZ flies - that's what they are in the genuine all-American-marketing-way. Five classics with their patterns modified to be fairly easy and fast to tie - not least because of the simple body construction using braided tubing.
  
 Go to Micropatterns
Micropatterns
With this book you get your moneys worth in weight. The book is a large format book with more than 300 pages. The size alone can make this book a bit scary, and innocent flytyers who leaf through it, will probably be intimidated by the huge volume of information.
  
 Go to Stacking material
Stacking material
When stacking materials it is important to consider it as consisting of more than just one process. There are several steps involved: material selection, cleaning and preparing, selecting the right tool and performing the stacking process itself. By Wayne Luallen
  
 Go to Production Fly Tying
Production Fly Tying
The fascinating thing about AK is, that you start believing him and that many of his methods make sense. His approach is very personal, and he doesn't try to hide this.
  
 Go to Anatomy of A Salmon Fly
Anatomy of A Salmon Fly
Advice on how to lay out a good classical salmon fly.