[Singlehandjay]

I was graciously gifted some hooks , seal dubbing, lovely hackles and a chunk of blue dyed Argus by @bhudda just out of the kindness of his heart. The under side of the Argus feather has some cool shaped stuff with black dots that I have been trying to figure out what I can do with them. This is what I came up with

Thank you for looking and have a good weekend. Still many thanks Jeffrey.

 

[bhudda]

Hey Jay! That part of the Argus is a useful addition to muddler flies. A lot of muddler minnows call for turkey quill and this part can sub that. Moose and deer hair skaters can also use that part of the feather.

 

[Back Eddy]

Gesh it even seems like he gave upo one of his million Blue Heron Hooks

 

[Rifflehitch]

Some helpful information for you Jay, the wings need to be placed equally on the hook shank. Looking at your wing the left(near) side looks good, the opposite side is down on the side of the hook.
This will make the fly spin under tension. Tie the far side first with 1 lose wrap then a second Adjust the wing then 3 more wraps. If every thing is good take back the 3 wraps then tie in the near side with 2 wraps and adjust as needed then finish the head.

The rule of 5 to 3! It only takes 2 wraps of thread to secure materials to the hook! Tie in material with five wraps, take 3 back before the next material. Each new material helps lock down the previous, 5 wraps back to 3, 5 wraps back 3, 5 wraps back 3.
Also never wrap backwards over the very first tie in point, as this will surely ruin any previous work!

 

[Singlehandjay]

Some helpful information for you Jay, the wings need to be placed equally on the hook shank. Looking at your wing the left(near) side looks good, the opposite side is down on the side of the hook.
This will make the fly spin under tension. Tie the far side first with 1 lose wrap then a second Adjust the wing then 3 more wraps. If every thing is good take back the 3 wraps then tie in the near side with 2 wraps and adjust as needed then finish the head.

The rule of 5 to 3! It only takes 2 wraps of thread to secure materials to the hook! Tie in material with five wraps, take 3 back before the next material. Each new material helps lock down the previous, 5 wraps back to 3, 5 wraps back 3, 5 wraps back 3.
Also never wrap backwards over the very first tie in point, as this will surely ruin any previous work!
Thank you for the tips. I definitely still struggle to get the set to stay put. I think part of my problem is the downward pull to tighten everything up. I forget to pull up. I like what you suggested and will definitely give this a try. Thanks Brian, have a good night