My favorite hooks for soft hackles are in the range of size 4 down to size 14. Not knowing any better, I started out tying them on size 4 and happily found that the the fish loved them in this "plus" size. Don't be afraid to tye some patterns on larger hooks. The nice thing about the large...

Congratulations on your success Andy! Your Honey Bunny pattern sounds like a terrific pattern. I'd love to see a picture of your fly, so I can replicate it.

Starling hackle works nicely for very small patterns...

That looks terrific, Nick! Beautifully framed set of classics. You should be very proud.

Lovely flies Carl. Let me know if you see another young wood duck skin in your travels. I'd be interested in buying one.

Ingenious design! Not what I pictured in my head, when I read the name "spider", but I like it. Looks like it deserves a place in my fly box in the near future. Thanks for sharing.

Very cool! And I love spinach...mmm...

I use the Wasatch ceramic bobbin designed for these smaller spools of silk thread (Gossamer only). I wind silk floss by hand to avoid the twists as much as possible. Regular floss will work, but I tend to use traditional silk because of how it appears after the material becomes wet (more translucent...

Very handsome fly, Nick! The hackle is great and the rib is a lovely touch. Thanks for sharing.

That is exactly what caught my eye, and got me thinking. I think the black hook emphasizes the depth of color.