Tag: fly tying

The Perfect Last Minute Gift for the Fly Angler on Your List

So, you’ve procrastinated like the rest of us, and you still have to buy for the difficult fly angler on your list. But what if you don’t know the first thing about fly fishing? What if you don’t know what they already have? At this point, it’s too late in the game to head to the local fly shop. There’s little chance of Amazoning the gift to their door, so what do you do? Fear not, for I bring you tidings of great flies that will be for all anglers – and every budget.  A gift they will love. Th

12/23/2020•Dun Team

4 Flies Every Trout Angler Should Know How to Tie

There are a lot of great flies in the bins of your local fly shop. These days, in fact, there are so many flies that it’s difficult to choose the right one. The four flies below are our go-to trout flies.  They work for us no matter what trout fishery we happen upon. In addition, they can easily be tied in the local dive motel near your favorite stream or with your fly tying friends at the shop. We have attached some of our favorite videos from across the web for you to tie them yourselves and l

6/19/2019•Dun Magazine

An Introduction to Fly Tying Hooks

“Now you must understand that the hardest and most difficult thing in producing your tackle is the making of your hooks. In order to make these, it is necessary for you to have a set of sharp, thin and lightly beaten files, a seamy iron clamp, and a pair of long and small pincers, a somewhat thick and hard knife, an anvil, and a small hammer.”  - Dame Juliana Berners When Dame Juliana Berners penned those words in A Treatyse of Fysshynge With an Angle in the late 15th century, the Angle she ref

5/13/2019•Dun Magazine

Hook Anatomy

Eye: The eye of the hook is where the tippet is tied. The eye can be up-turned, down-turned, or straight. In general, Spey style and salmon hooks have up-turned eyes, dry fly and wet fly hooks have down-turned eyes, and streamer, bass and saltwater hooks have straight eyes. The orientation of the hook eye is largely aesthetic and only comes into play when a knot used to attach the fly to the tippet is affixed to the shank and not the hook eye. Shank:  The shank is where the fly is tied and can

5/13/2019•Dun Magazine

Karup

My name is Amalie. I’m 15 years old and I come from Denmark. My story begins four years ago, when my dad was working on an entry to our local fishing club’s fly tying competition. He was having some issues working out the right technique to weave the Polish woven nymph. By a happy coincidence, I had recently been doing something similar at school; so he asked me to have a go at it. I tried and it worked! With this success, my dad encouraged me to come to the fly tying competition.  I did attend

9/2/2017•Amalie Nielsen

Magnetic Cups

I love it when I can steal an idea from another passion to use in fly fishing. I'm a tinkerer.  I like to fix things and learn how they work. While helping someone take apart a rider mower carburetor, I discovered the joys of a magnetic parts holder available at most auto parts store. This is no ordinary magnetic dish. It holds up to 4lbs and has a nice rubber base to keep it still and, as it states on the box, can work upside-down. I might not be tying in space anytime soon, but this would be t

9/2/2017•Nome Buckman

Spic N Span

Why would you ever want to take the time to clean your fly tying materials? detrimental insects improved materials handling material preservation Several methods are available to protect your beautiful naturals. Let me share some tips from Wayne Luallen, fly tier and Fly Fisher International 1991 Buszek Memorial Fly Tying Award recipient. Benefits gained by cleaning feathers and furs include removing dirt, oils and fats, detrimental insects and pesticides. Have you watched a fly tier nosh on

9/2/2017•Donna Luallen

Articulating Shanks

What in the world is an articulating shank?  3-Wire Articulating Shanks by Tumbleweed Fly and Tackle for tying big articulated flies for fresh and saltwater species who want the beef! The 3-Wire shank comes in packs of six with three lengths to choose from.  They are also very reasonable.  Made in the USA of ultra lightweight wire, the three shanks are bonded together with tying thread to help maintain strength while shedding unnecessary casting weight.  I can see using these shanks for SOOOO m

6/15/2017•Nome Buckman

Hair Clips

I feel I have some explaining to do when checking out with three dozen hair clips at a time when the longest hair on my head is under an inch long.  I pipe up and explain it’s for fly tying in an attempt to relieve the perplexed and judgmental look I get.  You would think I just told the checkout clerk I’m going to commit murder with these hair clips as the perplexed face turns to shock.  It definitely makes for good entertainment. When on the road tying at shows or venues, I get numerous comme

4/5/2017•Nome Buckman

Whip Finisher

A whip finisher is a knot tying tool for a fly tier.  This tool is very easy to use but still seems to mystify many out there.  To learn how to use a whip finisher click here. A whip finish is a great way to finish a fly with a knot and not need to add head cement to the fly.  Unlike a series of half hitch knots, a properly executed whip finish should not come apart. Although a whip finish knot can be accomplished by using fingers, in some cases the tool comes in handy; for example, when tryin

2/1/2017•Dun Magazine

Cul De Canard (CDC)

Cul De Canard better known as CDC is used primarily for dry flies such as the F Fly and the Moustique. The actual translation of Cul de Canard is duck butt even though these feathers are from the back of a duck directly around the preen gland and not from the butt (that doesn't stop us from calling them duck butt feathers).   The preen gland secrets an oil that the duck uses for cleaning and waterproofing.  This makes these feathers very buoyant. It is very important to note that using gink or

1/31/2017•Dun Magazine

The Bodkin

Spend any time around fly tiers and someone is bound to bring up the term bodkin or ask you if they can borrow yours.  At that point, knowing what a bodkin is could be quite helpful. What is a bodkin? A bodkin is basically a needle in a holder for easy use.  Bodkins can make many aspects of tying easier.  Here are a few ways that we use our bodkins. 1)  Applying head cement to a finished fly. 2)  Picking out trapped fibers after wrapping or palmering a material. 3)  Stabbing your next door

12/1/2016•Dun Magazine