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Fly tying instructions for Nymphs and Dry Flies

Easy ways to tie nymphs and flies

FFF Blog


How to tie different patterns, instructions by Wolfgang Fabisch

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Fly Tying - an Art?

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Yes, of course, fly tying flies for fishing is an artform. This art, however, can be learned. Not everyone getting started at fly tying will reach the level of fly tying classic salmon flies, but anyone can learn enough to tie flies to fish with.

Producing flies is not just about dry flies, but about any kind of imitations of insects we offer to fish we wish to catch. It also includes nymphs, wet flies, and streamers. Streamers imitate rather small bait fish - streamers for pike or salmon may imitate even quite chunky ones.

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To me, gluing a ready-made plastic body onto a hook and maybe finish it off with a few dabs of varnish is not producing flies. It takes feathers, threads of several colors and diameters, tinsels, and furs. Some beginners try to make use of their wife's or girlfriend's sewing kit until they realize that the materials found therein will not suffice to imitate just the bodies or wings they are trying to achieve.

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Especially fly tying dry flies depend on a good selection of materials, because those materials will make your pattern float - more or less! Materials tending to easily absorb water are to be avoided. Using the wrong technique may also lead to insufficient buoyancy. Beginners frequently wish to secure every one of the materials they add to their flies by a half hitch or a whip finish. Once the sample is completed, it carries up to a dozen knots which add unnecessary weight and thus reduce buoyancy.

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The fly tying techniques shown below are supposed to help you use several materials to tie a number of patterns. One rule of thumb to remember: a good dry pattern usually has only one knot - the whip finish.

Now get started, and enjoy!

p.s. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help you out. Just use the link on my contact page.

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Fly Tying Dry Flies

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CDC BWO Dry Fly

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fly tying instructions how to tie a bwo cdc dry fly

BWO CDC flies come in lots of different varieties. Here´s a basic instruction on how to tie one of the BWO patterns.

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Fly Tying Nymphs

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The simple Golden Beadhead Nymph

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fly tying instruction how to tie a simple golden beadhead nymph

If you are able to tie this simple Beadhead Nymph, you are also able to tie thousend of different Beadhead Nymphs.

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Parachute Flies

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fly tying instructions how to tie a parachute dry fly

Parachute flies come in lots of different varieties. Here´s a basic instruction on how to tie parachute patterns. It doesn´t make much difference whether you wish to tie a standard parachute dry or a Klinkhammer.

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The Dendif

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fly tying instruction how to tie a dendif nymph

Dendif is short for the nymph that will always catch fish. This nymph has performed up to its name many times. It merits a place in every box, in all possible variations.

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Deer Hair Caddis

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fly tying how to tie deer hair caddis flies

The Buck Caddis is a rather old dry pattern that exists in many versions. I call this version fully dressed because it has an extra turn of hackle at the hook´s eye.

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Universal Mayfly Nymph

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fly tying how to tie an universal mayfly

This pattern I call Universal MF Nymph because the way it is tied, it can imitate over a hundred different different mayfly nymphs just by varying materials and colors.

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Yery Simple Dry Fly

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fly tying how to tie a simple dry

This easy to tie dryfly has several advantages: it can be tied in about a minute´s time with a little practice, and it lets you use feathers that would otherwise end up in the garbage.

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Pheasanttail

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fly tying how to tie a pheasant tail

The Pheasant Tail is one of the most famous nymph patterns. This article will teach you to tie the basic version of this nymph as well as a variation allowing you to fish extremely deep pools without a lot of additional gadgets.

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the Red Tag

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fly tying how to tie a red tag

Another famous fly pattern that can be tied very quickly, no matter if you are tying the nymph or the dry fly. Should not be missing in any flybox.

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Scud

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fly tying how to tie a scud

In many waters, scuds form a large part in the local fish diet. By modifying materials and colors you may adapt to many different local scud populations without changing your tying routine.

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The use of fly tying tools

Many fly tying tools on the market are not able to fulfill what I expect of a proper fly tying tool. That is why I am producing my own line of tools made from stainless steel.

Fabisch Stainless steel Fly Tying Tools made in Germany

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How to use the whip finisher. See how to use this fly tying tool on the video.

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See the video on how to use the dubbing twister here.

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From time to time I will present new patterns here. As all the steps of fly tying apply to entire groups of flies or larvae there are not too many instructions necessary. Let´s take parachute flies, for instance: once you master the few steps necessary, the variability of this group is only limited by all the different materials available. With just a few steps you are ready to tie hundreds of different patterns. Enjoy fly tying own patterns.

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Fabisch Fly Fishing english

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Fabisch Fliegenfischen german

  • Wolfgang Fabisch
  • Nürnberger Str. 45
  • 90542 Eckental / Germany
  • Phone 011 49 9126 288640
  • Fax 011 49 9126 288643
  • Copyright: Wolfgang Fabisch

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