Who ties flies?

You will find more natural colors are used in flies, not saying no one ever does any bright colors because they do for some things, but Olive, Dun, Brown, Black, Cree, Ginger, Furnace, Cream or White and the like are the most used colors. Lots of natural hair and feather colors. I feel sure I left some out, but this should give you the idea. If your lake is clear I would look at Olive as a good color to try.

As for Scuds specifically here are the most common colors...grays, browns and cream to the most common olive and greens.

Here is a link to a simple tied Scud and from a state close to you called Fox's Arkansas Scud.
"Fox's Arkansas Scud" - FAOL

Been tying for 17 years steady and off and on before that. I like tying flies more than any other tying but I use more flies than jigs and lures.

I tie mostly beadheads for blue gill, nothing fancy just use a few pieces of marabou in diffrent colors. I tie floating spiders also.

Been fly tying for about 5 years now, and I tie more dries and wets than others. As Skip said you start tying flies and also jigs you're going to be spending ALOT of money!!!! If you really want to try a bunch of different stuff get on some fly boards like FAOL, Fly tyer forums and FlyTyer. They have a material swap box every now and then and believe me there are some serious materials in there!!!!!!!

Here's a my dry and wet box's

Dries
Front half of Dry Box - http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...f/100_1362.jpg
Back half - http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...f/100_1364.jpg

Wets
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...f/100_1864.jpg

ACSooner80,
When you start tying flies you don't need all that much more than what you have for making jigs but, over time, your collection of materials grows, and grows, and grows.
A few things to save money:
Dying feathers (usually white ones) in a microwave using food colouring of even 'Cool-Aid' gives you a wide selection of colours.
Also blending different coloured furs (often primary colours) also give you a huge variety colours for dubbed bodies.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by troutingintas

ACSooner80,
When you start tying flies you don't need all that much more than what you have for making jigs but, over time, your collection of materials grows, and grows, and grows.
A few things to save money:
Dying feathers (usually white ones) in a microwave using food colouring of even 'Cool-Aid' gives you a wide selection of colours.
Also blending different coloured furs (often primary colours) also give you a huge variety colours for dubbed bodies.

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I agree with you that if one does a lot of their own color work they can save some money, but it also will make a difference how far someone takes it. Like is what all they get into tying and how much or how many nice capes and saddles they end up with. Some of this material is not low ccost at all especially if you are buying from the best company's. It is though much like you said it grows and grows and seems at times there is no end, LOL!

Ok so do ya'll always stay with fly patterns that have been well known for awhile, or do you experiment with did designs that you come up with? Also how often do you try to converter a jig pattern to a fly pattern?

I do it all. I have some I have posted on fly boards and no one has ever seen one like it before. Had one guy want some that I still need to make him. Here is the fly I came up with. I mix them all the time going from fly to jig.
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...DSC07135-1.jpg

AC - I try and tie lots of patterns but for a while now I'm hooked on the Catskill Style dry flys and the old Wet fly patterns. Now yeah you can make up lots of dubbing and I've done that too. Hackle is high priced due to the hair fad but is coming down, luckily I have a lot and didn't sell out during the craze. If you hunt or know hunters who don't keep feathers MAKE FRIENDS QUICK!!!!!!!!!!!! and learn how to cure or dry the skins and you'll have lots of materials.

Never tried dying feathers - I've got enough fishing hobbies right now and don't want to deal with it, so I trade with a few friends who do. You can switch patterns back and forth between jigs and flies but depending on which pattern you'll have to tie it different. Flies for the most part ride hook tip down and jigs run hook tip up. Catch your finger on a hook tip a few times and you learn to be real careful!!!!!!!!!!LOL

Enjoy it, and have a good time!!!!!!!!

I would like to see some other flies that ya'll tie!!