I have a little 'problem'.

[Heero]

I have a tendency to spike all my flies in the trash about once/year and begin refilling my boxes. The urge usually strikes me around January or February, and by May or June I will have a refilled box. I thought this year was going to be different; I managed to avoid this uncontrollable urge...until this past weekend. I purchased a new fly box, a 920 fly holding CnF box, that will hold every single one of my trout flies (except my streamers).

Two nights ago I tied those quill body soft hackles in a couple sizes, last night I tied Grouse & Herls in a couple sizes:



Does it look like there is too much hackle on there? I can always pull off some barbs if there is.

So I now have about 40 flies in my new box -- some dry flies I tied over the weekend and the soft hackles I have tied the past couple nights. Ill move some of the flies from my old boxes into the new ones (most of the nymphs), but the rest will have to be retied...especially since I am now tying on mainly Grip hooks.

I wish there was a cure for this sickness.

[Soft-hackle]

Heero,
There is NO CURE except to do what you think is right for you. If this means ditching your flies once a year, then so be it. It tells me that you may not be satisfied with the flies you made last year, and that you want to try something new or try to improve your skills. There's nothing wrong with that.

One thing I will say is, the older I get, the more I find myself tying less patterns. I find that there those patterns, that for me, work and work well enough so that I don't have tie tons of flies or carry tons of patterns.

At any rate, your fly looks pretty good, but if you want to make the hackles a little less dense, strip off one side of the hackle before you put it on the hook. I have noticed, and I'm sure Hans will back me up on this, that American tiers have a tendency to have heavier hackles on their flies than do those from overseas. So I'll ask you- "Does the fly look pleasing to your eye? " If it does, then it is correct. The fish certainly are not going to count the number of hackles that are there.

Here's an excellent tutorial from Hans on tying a much sparser hackle if you so desire:
http://www.danica.com/flytier/steps/poe/poe.htm

Keep tying,
Mark

[Heero]

I here ya, Mark. I find myself tying fewer and fewer patterns that I dont end up ever using. I will experiment with new patterns, but I have stopped filing my boxes with the latest flavor of the month that I see on the multiwebs, in the magazines, or at the flyshops.

I do like the sparser hackle of Hans' fly. I will have to start stripping on side of the hackle (even though it feels like cheating).

I suppose I am just doomed to this life of torment and toil caused by having to retie my flies every year.

[Johnno]

try even just one less turn of the hackle..... may make all the difference to the look you are after.

[letumgo]

Heero - The next time you get the urge to toss out your flies, you may want to sort out the ones you intend to toss out and put them in an old Altoids mint box and put them in your fishing vest. The next time you run into a curious soul on the stream, who seems interested in fly fishing, just hand them the box of flies and wish them luck. It's a simple way you can share your gift with someone else who is interested in fly fishing. I can almost guarantee you that they will remember the gift the rest of their lives.

As far as the hackle is concerned, Mark has given you great advice. If it make you happy, that is all that matters. I tend tye heavily hackled flies (intentionally), and not one fish has complained to date, so I am happy.

[Heero]

Good advice, Ray. I actually didn't spike the flies in the trash...they are being sent to a wide-eyed flyfishing newbie on a local bait dunker forum.

I just tied up some Partridge & Yellows:



I didn't strip one side of the hackle, but I did strip more of the hackle off the stem before tying in than I normally do. I am quite happy with the outcome.

[RnF]

When I use hen hackles, I never strip one side. By not doing so, I can usually get 3-5 flies out of one hackle feather. Your supplies will last much longer that way. I think it's great that you are willing to let your flies go and "re-do" them. It shows you are still wiling to learn and get better, which is always good. Everyone has room for improvement (except maybe Han's)

I like your patterns. I tend to tie larger bodies than most people. I just like the way they look, the hackle is the same way for others. Like Ray says, the fish aren't picky. Most flies work one time or another regardless what it looks like.