As most of you know, I’ve recently started learning how to tie my own flies. In the past, I’ve referred to fly tying as a hobby for people with talent. By definition this would exclude me. That said, the opportunity to learn presented itself and I decided to give it a try.
In essence, I’m allowing my fly fishing sickness to metastasize. I’ve already built several rods, and as soon as 3-D printing technology allows, I’ll probably spin my own line (or not). I’ve also been experimenting with poppers made from bottle corks, a convenient excuse for trying new wines.
I’ve tied nymphs, streamers and bass bugs, but really enjoy working with dry flies. I’m learning the art of building the body, adding wings, tail and tying in the hackle. I look at chicken feathers and deer hair in a new light.
Recently I found a great peacock caddis recipe. The fly looked like what I’ve used in the past. I’m a caddis fan, but I truly like the peacock caddis, especially in smaller sizes.
With help from friends in my fly tying group, I assembled all the necessary materials and tied a few in size 18. My hackle sizing skills could use some work, but with an appropriate trimming they reasonably resembled the one in the video. Sort of.
Today I stood (or crouched) in a small stream holding a fiberglass rod that I built and cast one of my peacock caddis to a hungry wild brown trout. He promptly hammered it and ran towards me, making catch and release much easier.
It’s a great experience to land a fish on a fly you tied. Even if you don’t tie, this is a great time of year to get out and fish with dries. Enjoy!
Congrats Leigh! You’ll be hooked on tying before you know it.