We're loving this new video series on Youtube from Gordon van der Spuy (aka The Feather Mechanic), one of South Africa's best fly tiers and instructors. An actor by trade, Gordon begins each video with a clear explanation of what he wants to achieve from the fly, the materials he will use and why he [...]
Deadly on stillwaters, but essential in pretty much any freshwater fly box, the Skinny Damsel also covers many essential fly tying techniques and tips. In this quick video, Gordon van der Spuy, aka The Feather Mechanic, shows us how to tie the Skinny Damsel. For more on this pattern and other brilliant fly tying advice, [...]
How to amplify rattles in your flies. Now, embedding rattles into flies is nothing new. Borrowed from the booming clink-clank of art lures, tyers have been using rattles for years to target a variety of species. In the past decade some of the more hardened local salt fly-fishers turned to making their own from broken [...]
You're standing right above them, on a bridge, the water is crystal clear and about a metre deep. Its flowing quite strongly and the carp are sifting along the bottom, nose into the oncoming current. We've all been tempted to drop a fly off a bridge somewhere along the line, we can see fish clearly [...]
Having to channel all my fishing desires into fly tying like many others in these strange times I have been honing some pattern ideas for carp. One fish food source that is abundant in most freshwater bodies is tadpoles and around here they are about all year round. Like many creatures, hundreds are born to [...]
Words and Photos by Alec Gerbec https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi4tB_HHelX/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet If you have ever attempted to the tie the Alphlexo Crab, without a doubt you have run into some frustrating moments with the process. Whether it is managing the mess body tubing or threading the legs, this piece will hopefully help ease the pain with this non-traditional [...]
Words and photos thanks to Rex Fey. Step 1: Hook #12. Tie in a thick yarn tail that will be trimmed into an extended hotspot body. Step 2: Spin the body with deer hair. You will have to spread the deer hair around the tail before you spin it. It won’t spin [...]
Words and photos courtesy of Rex Fey Step 1: Use a #14-16 hook as this is intended to be a juicy meal of a fly, and it’s very difficult to tie this fly on smaller than #16. Bed the hook and tie in a 3 long tail fibers. I have used mongoose hairs for [...]
Crab Parts. Red legs (see "tutorials"), Red crow substitute, Furry Foam Cut Diamond out of Furry Foam and Tie in. Tie in first set of legs Tie in Dumbells Tie in Second Leg Set Tie carapace down. leave space for weedguard. Tie [...]
