The second instalment of our fly-tying basics programme got going yesterday evening at the Brown Trout in Lamberhurst. We'd all mastered the key lesson from last month - Whip Finishing, so we were ready to get started on some essential tying skills.
As is traditional, we started off with a pint and a good meal, and I must say that the fish and chips were particularly good last night. Then we got down to tying in a pheasant tail, applying dubbing to the body, then using silver wire or tinsel to add in ribs or segmentation, and of course finishing it all off properly with a whip finish. Keith demonstrated each stage of the tying, then the other experienced tyers (Miro, Nigel and Andrew) assisted us novices to get up to to speed, then we all moved on together.
After a basic ribbed Hare's Ear nymph, we each had a go at Keith's special 'Curry Nymph' which has been so successful for him all last season. This involved a plain dubbed body and a pink collar. My own attempt used an off-bead, which is a bit more challenging, and was hardly pretty, but might look something like it was supposed to, so long as the water's a bit murky.
I'm particularly keen on off-set beads having had great success with the off-bead Silver Quill last season (all bought of course), so I'm hoping to graduate to be able to make my own Silver Quills once we've mastered CDC hackles in a future session.
If you'd like to join us, it's not too late, and you'll get individual help to get you up to speed if you're a beginner. If you already know this stuff, you'll still find it interesting as the experts swap tips and debate the best ways of doing things. You'd be surprised at how many ways there are to achieve the same result, and there's always something to learn or improve.
Failing that, it's always a very enjoyable evening with good food and company.
Cheers
PeterB
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