Learning to make your own fishing flies can be quite rewarding especially when they actually work..
We have put together a few basic steps on a couple of different ways of making them.. Enjoy!
Here is one way of tying a basic flasher-fly:
Step One
Firstly, wrap thread around hook several times to lay a base. This helps to give a little grip for the rest of the materials that you are going to tie on. Hold the end of the thread in one hand and start wrapping the thread around and over itself to hold the loose end in place. Wrap down the shank a little way and back up towards the eye. Snip off the loose thread.
Step Two
Take a small bunch of crystal flash approx 8-10cm long. On this fly I wanted the red on the underneath of the fly to represent the gills or bleeding gills of a baitfish.
Roughly measure where halfway is on the length of the bunch of crystal flash and lay on the hook. Wrap thread a couple of turns (not too tight) and position the cryastal flash to sit on the underside of the hook. Wrap a few more turns with the thread to (tighter this time) to keep in place.
Step Three
Now, fold back the crystal flash that is sitting out in front of the hook and wrap thread around 6-7 times.
You will now have the bunch of red crystal flash on the underside of the hook.
Step Four
Repeat the same process as in step 2 but this time tie it onto the top side of the hook and in a different colour.
Crystal flash Pearl has been used here.
This colour can represent the sides of a baitfish.
Step Five
Repeat the same process as in step 3.
You could finish the fly here and tie it off, or you could add another colour as is shown in the next step
Step Six
Repeat steps 2 and 3 with another colour (crystal flash yellow has been used here) This can represent the topside of a bait fish.
You could finish and tie off your fly here or you could proceed with adding some lumo flash wings. See next step.
Step Seven
Cut a wing shape (see here) and place on top of the fly and wrap several more turns of thread to form a head.
Tie off and coat head with some fly cement.
Some people use nail polish for this job.
Here is the finished fly. And below are a few variations of the same fly. Have fun experimenting with different colours and different lengths.
You may want to add some stick-on eyes for more visual effect.
