What Are You Tying Today? 2026

Moth-1080.jpg


Moth

Hook - Standard wet fly
Thread - Black
Tip - Flat silver tinsel
Body - White chenille
Hackle - White hackle
Wing - White duck oe goose quill segments

Amateur Tyers Fly Dictionary - J E Willmarth
 
Moth-1080.jpg


Moth

Hook - Standard wet fly
Thread - Black
Tip - Flat silver tinsel
Body - White chenille
Hackle - White hackle
Wing - White duck oe goose quill segments

Amateur Tyers Fly Dictionary - J E Willmarth
Nothing prettier than a well-tied winged wet fly or maybe a nicely tied traditional catskill dry fly.
 
thank you
 
Raven-1080.jpg


Raven

Hook - Standard wet fly
Thread - Black
Tail - Black hackle
Body - Black floss
Hackle - Black hackle
Wing - Black duck or goose quill segments

Author's Note
Also made with dark green floss body

Amateur Tyers Fly Dictionary - J E Willmarth
 
Light-Caddis-1080.jpg


Light Caddis

Hook - Standard wet fly
Thread - Black
Tag - Orange floss
Tail - Brown mallard
Body - Peacock herl
Hackle - Brown
Wing - Slate duck or goose quill segments

Amateur Tyers Fly Dictionary - J E Willmarth
 
Tying weird. Pistol Pete meet kinky prop #12, with free spinning red lined chartreuse triangle beads. The prop spins the beads, which flash red and green. Ugly tie but cool effect. Also with black furled mohair tail, blue and purple beads
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6959.jpeg
    IMG_6959.jpeg
    215.4 KB · Views: 28
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    244.7 KB · Views: 23
Last edited:
Nothing prettier than a well-tied winged wet fly or maybe a nicely tied traditional catskill dry fly.
You're right about that. I can tie them but they never look as good as Norm's. I've watched every tutorial known to man, tried every technique and I mess the first one up and get frustrated. I think feather quality is just as important as technique and I have neither.
 
I had the privilege of watching over Don Bastian's shoulder and watching him tie for a couple of hours many years ago. It appeared that I was doing exactly the same things as he was yet his flies were perfect and mine were "fish catchers" but not much more than that. Tying flies at that level is real serious art.
 
You're right about that. I can tie them but they never look as good as Norm's. I've watched every tutorial known to man, tried every technique and I mess the first one up and get frustrated. I think feather quality is just as important as technique and I have neither.
"You don't really know how to tie a pattern until you have cranked out a hundred dozen of them".
- A.K. Best
 
I too have watched don bastian tie some winged wet flies.

I took a class with him many many years ago at a fly shop in Maine

His were perfect, mine were just good

The more you practice the better you get

I've tied so many winged wet flies it gets easier to tie the wings
 
Eddy-s-Choice-1080.jpg


Eddy's Choice

Hook - Standard wet fly
Thread - Black
Body - Brown wool
Hackle - Peacock sword
Wing - Slate duck or goose quill segments

Amateur Tyers Fly Dictionary - J E Willmarth
 
English-Coachman-1080.jpg


English Coachman


Hook - Standard wet fly
Thread - Black
Tip - Flat gold tinsel
Body - Black chenille
Hackle - Black
Wing - White over red over white duck or goose quill segments, married

Amateur Tyers Fly Dictionary - J E Willmarth
 
I have had some trouble with my bead head nymphs tied with tungsten sinking my "dry" while fishing dry dropper. Using a traditional nymph hook I started tying some perdigon style flies using a much lighter brass bead. Real tungsten is more than twice the density of brass. A 3.0 tungsten bead is .22 grams while the same size brass is .04 grams.
 
Gray-Coughlin-1080.jpg


Gray Coughlin

Hook - Standard wet fly
Thread - Black
Tip - Flat silver tinsel
Tag - Peacock herl
Body - Rabbits fur
Hackle - Brown or gray
Wing - Slate duck or goose quill segments

Amateur Tyers Fly Dictionary - J E Willmarth
 
Back
Top