[riverrat8]

I tried to take all of the advice I received to heart, and did a bit more Internet research. I decided to copy a vintage pattern to help get the style and proportions before I start mixing in my own flair. After a couple less successful attempts I'm pretty happy with this one, although it's certainly not perfect. Comments/advice welcomed! Thank you in advance

 

[GR8LAKES FLYER]

Nice profile , very sleek .
Dressed properly , well done !!
I comment by saying to not crowd up front . I know it can be challenging at first . Plan on a tiny portion of the shank showing . Not so much for tradition , more for durability .
Great work !! The Balmoral is my favorite and highest producing Dee that I tie .


Mike

 

[fish0n4evr]

Copies are short-cuts.

Nice tie - it looks like a fisher to me. I suggest to forget about perfect copies of what you see here or there because you will never achieve perfect copies. Read-up, study and apply. Make mistakes and learn. Focus on applying the materials in a way that they will hold up and swim well like Mike points out. This looks well dressed. Keep in mind that balance and proportion play a bit part in that, but have a larger role in pleasing the human eye. If your eye likes what it sees knowing it is well dressed you swing it in full confidence. I suggest that to be the perfect dressing. The fish will take care of the rest.

 

[fshnazn]

Dead sexy!

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[MZilliox]

thats a real good looking dee. My biggest steelie to date was taken on this pattern, i agree with Mike, its a killer.

 

[riverrat8]

For me tying a classic pattern is a way to focus on correct construction , which I hope will help in both the durability and swimmyness of the fly. I've found that if I just make up a fly influenced by a style, they generally look and fish poorly, and it takes longer to learn to tie them well. I am not so concerned about replicas, and I fully intend on my flies being chewed up by a steelhead.

This isn't a color combo I fish often, but there is a certain river that I am looking forward to fishing when I get home in December, where it is very good. Can't wait to toss this fly in there.

I'll try to manage my heads a bit better, that's been the most inconsistent part, either crowding or too long of a head.

 

[failtospey]

Bravo

Agreed on the vintage as a great place to start to achieve your portions. I'm partial since I do the same. A touch crowded up front like great lakes indicated. But a great slender profile no doubt. She's a twitcher!

 

[fish0n4evr]

For me tying a classic pattern is a way to focus on correct construction , which I hope will help in both the durability and swimmyness of the fly. I've found that if I just make up a fly influenced by a style, they generally look and fish poorly, and it takes longer to learn to tie them well. I am not so concerned about replicas, and I fully intend on my flies being chewed up by a steelhead.

This isn't a color combo I fish often, but there is a certain river that I am looking forward to fishing when I get home in December, where it is very good. Can't wait to toss this fly in there.

I'll try to manage my heads a bit better, that's been the most inconsistent part, either crowding or too long of a head.

riverrat8,
You say this Balmoral is not perfect and only you can really know why... because you tied it. But that is not what I was getting at. I can tell you, at the risk of coming across as an expert and I'm not, that when one learns just some basic classic dressing techniques these same techniques will permeate into many other styles and patterns. That any pattern in general doesn't look identical to the original is not important is what I suggest. Maintain your focus on well tied flies and if all your flies develop their own distinct-look, it would be even better.

 

[CaneCaster]

Very good looking dee tye! Should fish very well and swim right. Looks spot on to me.
J.

 

[chromechaser420]

That looks great! Wonderful tie. As a seasoned musician I have found that fly tying, like music, is an art, and that art is subject to interpretations of the beholder. Your ties will reflect your personal style, and that is
not only okay, it's fantastic. Don't try to xerox someone else's tie, embrace your own style and swing it with confidence. I have covered many, many songs over the years, and when I try to mimic the original artist it never sounds as good as when I take the song someone else has created and do it in my own style and flavor.

 

[riverrat8]

I guess I see this as a starting point, I love the creativity of tying and plan on filling a box with no two flies the same. I'm hoping to learn new styles and dressing techniques, so far this forum has been a big help! I will have lots of tying time this fall and am very well stocked on my usual flies, so this is a fun project of sorts, that will hopefully result in a box of fishy flies.