Making Your Own Fly Fishing Lures

Here are a few thoughts

Tying or making your own fly fishing lures is a great way to find
something to fill in those cold winter nights until fly fishing season
hits again. Flies are not difficult to tie, plus using your own
supplies and designing your own patterns is a great way to find new
flies for those huge trout and bass in the spring and summer months.
Basically the easiest type of fly to make for a first timer at making
their own fly fishing lures is a dry fly.

Basic Dry Fly Fishing Lures

Start tying a dry fly it is important to get the supplies together
that you need. Typically this will involve a small vice to hold the
hook, a basic hook, some thread, some small feathers or course animal
hair such as deer or elk hair or synthetic materials found in sporting
goods stores for making fly fishing lures usually called hackle barbs.

1. Place the hook in the vice with the bend of the hook clamped
tightly and the shank end of the hook facing away from the vice. If
you are right handed, hold your left forefinger along the shank of the
hook and begin wrapping the thread by holding it closes to the bend
with the left finger and wrapping it several times up to the end of
the shank or the eye. There will be lots of hook showing through the
thread. When you get to the end switch direction and bring the thread
back, crossing over each of the previous loops to form an X pattern
around the shank. When you get back to the original first wrap slide
the left finger away and leave the thread hanging, holding everything
in place.


2. Measure the tail material, and cut off the excess length. In
standard fly fishing lures the tail will be the same length as the
same length as the hook shank length but remember that there will be a
slight amount needed to tie the tail to the hook. Position the hackle
barbs or the hairs so they will butt up against the wings about half
way down the length of the hook shank. Loosely wrap the hanging thread
around the tail bundle on the side closes to you, then tighten the
thread and pull to the other side, moving the hair bundle to the top
of the hook bend. Secure with extra wraps of thread.

3. To make the thicker part of the body you need dubbing, which is
twisted onto the thread and then the thread is wrapped around the hook
shank, creating the desired shape. The body or dub should start just
behind the wings and taper through to the tail.

4. Cut the hens feathers or hackle tips to the desired length, which
is the same length as the shaft of the hook from the start of the bend
to the eye. Angling the center shaft of the feather on the side of the
hook you are working and down, start to wrap the front of the feather
shaft, holding the feather straight. Increase the wrap and then push
the feather more upright, wrapping behind the shaft of the feather.
This will pull the wings into the upright position. Repeat on the
other side then gently spread the wings apart and position.

5. Add additional hackle feathers to the front of the fly fishing
lure, using finer feathers the further forward on the fly you travel.
Three to five wraps should be all that is needed to secure these fine
feathers.

To tie off the thread make three or four loose loops letting the
thread bobbin fall through the loop and then pulling tightly. This
will secure the tie and ensure that your fly fishing lures will not
unravel in the water.


Cheers,

Steve
http://www.HelpingMeFish.com

1. Place the hook in the vice with the bend of the hook clamped
tightly

Wow! You can make your own flies? I thought that was impinging on
free trade agreements with Thailand. Who woulda thunk it.
Frank Reid