Copper and Teal

[DUBBN]

Using over sized feathers I can not make a decent looking head to save my life!

[Mataura mayfly]

I'm hearing you there Brother! And yet guys like Davie McPhail make it look so easy in their web videos
I guess it is the practice and then practice some more.......

Nice looking combination in this fly though and I am guessing the fish will not mind the odd butt end poking out of the head wraps.

[Kelly L.]

I like the fly a lot. You know what helps me sometimes on heads...a cauterizer. Well worth the money. Yes, it is kind of cheating, but I don't care. I don't use it all the time, but it can be a life saver. (to me) The fish don't care. I know you can tie a very nice head, many of your flies have them. This fly will definitely catch you some fish. Let us know how it works out for you.

[DUBBN]

This was the 5th attempt at this pattern. I get so worried about the head that I screwed up the hackle or body in the previous 4 attempts. You are right Jeff. The trout will not mind. Just chaps my backside that others can make it look so dang easy. I am becoming a fan of hydro-cephalic looking heads for Flymphs. I need them to hide my mistakes

Now that I am done whining? It's fun trying something different.

[DUBBN]

Thanks Kelly. I will let you know how it does as soon as I fish it. Might I say, you are making it look easy using that bulky silk on your patterns. The heads on those Purple patterns are perfect!

[Kelly L.]

Your fly will fish perfectly fine. If it weren't for the macro lens, we would not be seeing the slight imperfections. The silk I was using is Gossamer. It isn't buttonhole twist. I can't make a decent head with buttonhole twist. I have made a body of buttonhole twist, and tied the head with regular thread. It might look too weird, but it is better than a basketball head.......lol. I have always had a problem with making big heads on my flies in the past. I am getting better at it. But I kind of like some of the bigger heads. Not gargantuan heads...but a decent head. The gossamer makes it fairly easy to tie a smaller head. Also if I want a small head, I like the Bennechi thread. That stuff is awesome~!!!

[JohnP]

You know, if you look through some of the flies tied by Pete Hidy and James Leisenring that have been posted on here, a lot of those have pretty large heads on them. One of my early tying gurus, Polly Rosborough of Oregon, incorporated large heads as a part of some of his patterns. I know in the past some have argued that it was the thread they were using that forced them to create big heads, but I maintain that tiers as skilled as they were could have made tiny heads if they chose. I think we let some of the Youtube experts dictate what our flies should look like, and if we do not conform to that ideal, then we think our flies are no good. I am pretty sure the fish don't care.

[Mataura mayfly]

I do not know it is the size of the head, so much as those pesky barb ends that play hide and seek as you try to cinch them all down and out of sight.

True, John, the trout do not care much, but if we do not strive to improve our tying from time to time you cannot expect to get much better. No stab on Dubbn's examples, he ties better than I an I have not posted a photo on here in yonks....... but I believe we all try to become better...... do we not?
A "messy" fly will catch fish, some say they will catch more, but a well tied "pretty" looking fly makes you feel proud it came from your vice and was tied by your hand.

[JohnP]

Sure, we all try to become better. But I guess each of us has to choose what we consider to be a standard to shoot for. If I could tie like Polly Rosborough, I would be satisfied.

[DUBBN]

I will say this to both of you. Both opinions matter a great deal to me, and I appreciate them. I have 5 Copper and Teal in myfly box now. Once the lid was shut on that box my worries ceased. We all know that if it imitates what the fish are eating or attacking, it will work fine. Tonight, after my float, or tomorrow morning, I am going to tie some other patterns with Mallard or Teal. I am still going to try my hand at a small neat head, just to see if I can do it. I will also try a few with over sized heads as John suggests. I would like to see if I can get the thread wraps to look neat and tidy on an over sized head.

I believe if I make the first wrap near the thorax, and clip as close as I can, I may be able to cover the remaining barbs with three consecutive whip finishes. I would not blame my problem on my tools, but I do not believe I would be having this issue if I had finer point scissors. Ok, so I did blame it on my tools!