1. Home
2. Fly Tying: An Enjoyable Hobby
3. Dry Flies and Fundamentals

Fundamentals

The advantage of fly tying is that you can match the aquatic foods better in the waters that you fish. Take the time to collect and sample the aquatic foods and take them home to the tying bench.

Dry Flies

Adams

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about a dozen moose fibers and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Adult Midge

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in the hackle material by making two loose wraps followed up with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

Blue Wing Olive BWO

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about a dozen hackle fibers and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Callibaetis

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about a dozen hackle fibers and secure with 5 tight wraps.

CDC BWO Biot Dun

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in the hackle fibers by making two loose wraps followed up with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

CDC Caddis

Attach thread and wind the base. Select hackle and tie in with 5 tight wraps.

CDC Yellow Sally

Compara Dun

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in the hair tail material by making two loose wraps followed up with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

Elk Hair Caddis

Attach thread and wind the base. Select hackle and tie in with 5 tight wraps.

Elk Hair Caddis Grizzly

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in wire and grizzly hackle by its stem with 5 tight wraps.

Elk Hair Mayfly

Attach thread to shank. Tie in the wire with 5 tight wraps.

Goddard Caddis

Attach thread to rear quarter of hook shank. The bare shank makes it easier to spin deer hair.

Gray Drake Spinner

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about 4 to 6 moose hairs with 2 loose thread wraps.

Gray Caddis

Attach thread to hook and wind a base for the body. Select hackle for proper size and desired stiffness.

Green Drake

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about a dozen moose fibers and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Griffith's Gnat

Attach thread base to hook shank and tie in fine wire and grizzly hackle. First prepare hackle by stripping away fibers from its stem base.

Henry's Fork Caddis

Attach thread to hook shank. Wax thread with a light coat of wonder wax.

Hexagenia Mayfly

Attach thread to hook shank and complete a double wrap down to the start of the bend and back to the wing area. Select a bunch of elk hair about 3 mm in diameter.

Humpy

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in the hair tail material by making two loose wraps followed up with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

Irresistible

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in the hair tail material by making two loose wraps followed up with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

Light Cahill

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about a dozen hackle fibers and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Mayfly Spinner

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in the hackle fibers by making two loose wraps followed up with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

Mosquito

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in the hackle material by making two loose wraps followed up with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

Pale Morning Dun PMD

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about a dozen hackle fibers and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Parachute Adams

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in about a dozen moose fibers and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Partridge Caddis

Attach thread to hook and evenly wind a thread base. Select the desired number of peacock herls and trim the bases evenly.

Renegade

Attach thread and wind the base. Select brown hackle and tie in by its stem with 5 tight wraps.

Royal Coachman

Attach thread base. Place moose hair and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Royal Coachman Downwing

Attach thread base. Place moose hair and secure with 5 tight wraps.

Royal Wulff

Salmon Fly Dry

Attach thread base to the hook shank. Tie in a bundle of elk hair about the diameter of a kitchen match.

Sparkle Spinner

Stimulator

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Tie in the hair tail material by making two loose wraps followed up with 3 to 5 tight wraps.

Stimulator Caddis

Wrap thread onto the hook shank from about 1mm behind the eye to the start of the hook bend. Attach wire with 5 tight wraps.