Free fly tying
{{start}}
{{end}}
{{+1}}Legs{{-1}}
{{start}}
Legs on flies may well be one of the most significant trigger components of a fly. They add balance , movement and reality. There are many ways of representing legs on flies including the following:{{end}}
Last Updated: December 31, 2010
Author: 
Categories: 
{{+1}}Deer hair – spun bodies{{-1}}
{{start}}
It doesn't matter if the spun deer hair body you are making is on a size # 2/0 Dahlberg Diver or a size # 12 Adams Irresistible the method of building the body is the same.{{end}}
{{+1}}Tails – divided hackle or hair{{-1}}
{{start}}
Spinner tails are typically quite long and very fine and if you incorporate those characteristics in your flies you will find that the tails look very life like when you firstt tie your fly but once the fly has been in your fly box for a while the tails get damage and broken and the fly looks ugly. I think its better to compromise on the length of the tail and to add a couple of extra hackle fibres so that your fly will stand the test of time.{{end}}
Tags: 
{{+1}}Tails – dahlberg diver type tails{{-1}}
{{start}}
Dahlberg Diver tails are generally equal in length to between the length of the hook shank and two times the length of the hook shank. Avoid making tails too long because sometimes the fish will hit the movement of the tail and miss the hook completely. This is often referred to as a "short take" or "taking short". Good marabou tails are a real bonus to a big dry fly because the marabou hangs in the water and has a lot of movement.{{end}}
{{+1}}Hackle, hair and synthetic tails for dry and wet flies{{-1}}
{{start}}
When we think of tails on dry flies hackle and hair tails are very common. There not so common on wet flies but they certainly have their place. Nymphs and English wee wets in particular make use of this flexible tail representation technique.{{end}}
{{+1}}Tails{{-1}}
{{start}}
Whilst a lot of the things we seek to imitate with flies don't in fact have tails we still tie what are commonly referred to as tails into most of our flies. I am a firm believer that in some flies realistic eyes are a trigger that elicits a response from fish. There are many ways of adding eyes to a fly.{{end}}
{{+1}}Tails – woolly bugger tails / flash on the outside{{-1}}
{{start}}
In most cases tails are tied into dry flies as an extension of the body and are generally incorporated in the fly design to give the fly some additional movement. If a tail is incorporated in a wet fly it is generally of much softer material than would have been used for a dry fly and for full tails as apposed to tags are generally equal between the length of the hook and these days up to 5 times the length of the hook shank.{{end}}
{{+1}}Glossary of terms{{-1}}
{{start}}
Launched on 2912/1010 and accumulating additional content since then I have finally added a direct link giving direct access to the ever growing content.{{end}}
{{+1}}Dubbing – loop method of dubbing{{-1}}
{{start}}
The word dubbing is used to describe the technique of attaching natural fibres such as animal fur, and synthetic fibres such as synthetic living fiber (SLF) or antron dubbing, to a thread before winding it onto a fly. The technique involves winding in, spinning in or rubbing in the animal fur or synthetic fibres onto the thread or threads so that they can be wound onto the hook to create part of a fly generally the body and or thorax.{{end}}
{{+1}}Eyes – booby eyes from bean bag beads{{-1}}
{{start}}
Set out below are the tying instructions for Booby eyes made out of bean bag beads for a right handed fly tier. If your left handed please remember to switch the instructions around.{{end}}