How to Tie a Basic Pan-Fish Fly

If you enjoy fly fishing and have not tried tying your own flies, you should give this rewarding hobby a try. Catching fish with your own hand-tied flies is exciting, and it saves you money as well. Also, tying flies during the cold winter months allows you to stay connected to the sport as you dream of fish not yet caught.

Equipment and supplies for this fly:

Fly-tying vise, small scissors, bobbin and thread, hook, A goose quill dyed yellow, cement (I use clear nail polish), a white hackle feather, and black chenille.

1. First, secure the hook in the vise and apply a light coat of cement. Wrap the thread around the hook near the eye. Wind the thread down the shank of the hook until you are right above the barb.

2. Cut a small section from the yellow goose quill, and tie it on with a few turns of thread to create the tail.

3. Cut off a couple of inches of chenille. Tie it on where the tail is secured and wrap it around the hook until you are about three-fourths of the way to the eye. Secure it with a few winds of thread.

4. Tie on a hackle feather and wind it around the hook. When you do this, the feather will stick out in all directions. Pull the fibers back and out of the way, then tie the hackle in place.

5. To finish, create a head by building up the thread. To tie off the thread, make a loop around the hook big enough to allow the bobbin to pass through. Pass the bobbin through the loop and carefully pull the loop closed around the hook. Trim off the thread and give the head a coat of cement. Be careful not to fill the eye of the hook with cement.