How to Start Tying the Fishing Fly

Join Bennett-Watt and learn how to Start Tying the fishing fly.

Male Speaker: A Partridge John Holden Sea Hook size 3/0 for this particular fly. You'll notice also it has a wide gap like the ones I showed you on the chart. Now, one thing that I'd like to do, when I'm tying on a tail, say for a mouse I may use a strip of ultra suede or leather and for this particular fly I'm going to use marabou. I take a file and just briefly scuff off the back of the hook to make a rough finish, which helps the thread in here a little bit better through the shank of the hook and it doesn't really weaken the hook or damage the hook as far as its strength is concerned. Take the thread and put a small jam knot about an eighth of an inch or slightly longer on the back and I bend the tag over. Trim off the tag and take a small amount of Crazy Glue and put a drop of Crazy Glue, which again helps the durability of the fly. Now, we're going to use marabou for the tail, I'm going to use three pieces of marabou and if you take a look at these blood feathers as they're referred to, they have a slight curvature to them. Take the curves and have them face each other in this fashion, so they're like this. Make sure that the tips are lined up evenly; measure, so that the marabou which extends from the time point to the out the rear of the hook is the same length as the entire shank of the hook. So, I'll measure first and make sure that the tips are at the back of the bend, switch hands, decide where I want to place it right there, cut off what I'm not going to use. Now, you'll note I can put a great deal pressure with this thread. I'm going to place a few strands of coiling flash material on either side of the marabou, about three strands doubled over, resulting in six strands. Lay the material alongside the hook; grab it with your thumb right on the material, right behind your tying point and make a wrap over. Then double it back, which locks it in. Take another four, five, three, four, five strands of the same material and do it on the other side.