I got this book, "Master Flytyer's Handbook" or some such title--I don't
have the book with me, and I don't recall the author's name, but I believe
he is British, cause no person of any other nationality would sell such a
book to Americans! Ok, I say this because: the book is very well
illustrated, with some of the most beautiful patterns, of which the patterns
are most professionally diagrammed for tyin' purposes. Unfortunately, the
LARGE PRINT tyin' instructions leave one with the impression that tyin' any
one of the flyz will be a snap.

Take it from me, there is nothin' easy about tyin' these flyz!

I settled on tyin' the Mohican Mayfly. Very few materials are required:

hook--size 12 short shank with wide gape;
thread--Kevlar (I used Unithread 6);
body--3/32" strip of closed cell foam 6" long (I got as close as possible to
3/32".......... 7/8"?);
tail--moose body hair (longish) (right on the money with this one);
wing--Texas whitetail deer (I have coastal deer hair, works for me)
hackle--grizzly and brown (I used med. Dun, I have no clue why?)

Gettin' started ain't too terribly difficult. Clamp hook in vise, tie on
thread, tie in 4 moose hairs for tail, move up shank, tie in deer hair
wings, fold 6" piece of foam in half, bend around wing back toward tail, tie
off behind wing-post, wrap thread around foam to create body segments,
continuin' beyond bend in hook taperin' each segment smaller-----here's
where things go all to ****----fold foam back toward wing-post and overlap
each segment again. This wouldn't be so difficult to accomplish, if
evolution had equipped me with two additional hands, and the fly could be
suspended *SOLIDLY* in midair!

I was able to work my way back to the wing-post and figured that wrappin'
the hackle around the foam and post, parachute style, and then foldin' the
foam back down to the eye of the hook to form a head would be the bitch, but
that was actually easy--compared to the second wrap of body segments.

I completed three flyz, but they don't come close to looking like the
"Master Tyer's!"

Markin' pens cover-up some of the flaws, but a Master Tyer I ain't, YET!

Any suggestions from Master Tyer's would be greatly appreciated!

Op --Oh yeah, this fly isn't made to be tied on a *true* rotary vise, and a
needle to support the foam didn't work (for me anyway) either?--