Designing Flies Podcast

Harry
Design a Fly

Designing Flies Podcast by Harry Murray

January 2018

Happy New Year!

Since the weather is so cold at this time of the year, this is the best time to design and tie better flies for the upcoming season.

In this fly fishing podcast I will be discussing a sound approach which has helped me in designing flies I personally use and the 68 custom flies I have designed and sell in my fly shop in Edinburg, Virginia.

My approach to design flies consists of:

  • discerning the need for a new fly
  • evaluate existing patterns
  • evaluate many tying materials
  • tie several test flies
  • try these test flies on the fish
  • incorporate the most effective materials and tying styles into your final master fly
designing flies
The Mr. Rapidan Dry Fly which Harry Murray is teaching his students to tie is only one of the more than five dozen flies which he has developed for both trout and bass that are very effective all across the country.

I have learned many tips and techniques from great fly tyers such as Ed Shenk, Charlie Brooks, and Vince Marino.  Many of my patterns have originated by catching a natural fly and looking at the color and matching it.  Then looking to see how the natural fly acts and drifts on the trout stream so that I can get my artificial to act the same way.  The same thing applies for streamers in matching the natural shiners on the bass rivers.

I teach fly tying classes throughout the winter in my fly shop on Saturdays from 10a.m. to noon.  You can see the schedule of all of my fly fishing classes on our website.

 

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