Fly Tying

Something resembling a Cormorant Lure

Before I get a rod and reel I bought a fly tying vice and hooks and materials. I browsed the internet studying all the step by step instructions and watching videos on YouTube, especially by master tier Davie McPhail (Davie makes it look so easy, the fecker) helps a lot but it doesn't stop me breaking thread, cursing pheasant tail fibresas slip from my fingers and uncoil like a bleeding spring and then having Marabou fibres floating around the room and annoying the OH.

Cursing, swearing and sheer frustration aside, I do enjoy fly tying, especially when everything goes well and what I was trying to make, almost resembles what I intended. As long as the trout don't mind taking an ugly fly then I will be happy. Tying Buzzers is enjoyable as you only need thread and one or two other materials - fairly easy but they are finished with a few coats of varnish, most popular being Sally Hansen's "Hard As Nails". You do get some strange looks in Boots when buying it.

A Bead Head Buzzer

Hackles are another problem, there are so many different kinds, from cheap Indian and Chinese capes to very expensive capes from Whiting and other companies that can run to over £80 for one.

My first time tying on a hackle I broke several and eventually ended up with a fly looking like a shuttlecock as the hackles were way too long, but that's how I learn, from my mistakes, and I make lots of them.