Do Flies Have To Be Perfect?

[pmcgeanflynoc]

I have tyed alot of lfies in the past few months and have a few that i have purchased. when i compare the ones i have bought to the ones i make they seem to be perfect. my question is if you make a fly does it have to be perfectly trimmed or can there be a few loose hairs here and there?? Like when i tie a clouser and put the hair over the eyes a few of them stick up and i can't trim them any shorter. will the fish notice this or is it unimportant. i try to make my flies as appealing to the human eye as possible but do i really need to???

[Wave Loudly]

If it catches fish, who cares? LOL

[jemche]

im not sure if it has to be perfect, but i know my flies are never exactly perfect!

[flies only]

hey guys , perfect flies catch fisherman. if umpuqua or your local fly shop had ratty flies would you buy them . hell no. if you look at some really good guide flies , what is in their working box is not what you see them selling. the main thing is that it is a SUGGESTION TO THE FISH . mother nature talkes over from their. just keep tying you improve with every flie...

[fishsalmon]

The flies i tie today are way better than my first few, but surprise, surprise, the fish don't care. I have done just as well on the "less perfect" flies. I agree with the statement that the stores perfect flies are more for the fisherman than the fish.

[OneMoreCast]

It isn't the final product, it's the journey. By trying to make a perfect fly, you learn more during the tying process. In the long run, this will make you a better tyer. For example, some patterns will spin if tied improperly. This will ruin your leader and waste time on the water. You tie a clouser with too much tail and too little wing, it won't ride hook up. You put too much material on a pattern and you will lose the gap.... you will decrease your hook up rate dramatically.
So, yes it does matter. It matters in the short run and the long run. Don't be rough on yourself though. It is all part of the process. The fact that you are asking the question is proof enough that you are well on your way to being a good tyer.
Do you want to maximize your time on the water? Then try for the perfect fly everytime. If you have any questions, put up pictures and ask away. We are all here to help.

[Paul Sikorski]

The more you tie, the more you learn and the better you get. Bad flies can still catch fish...

Once I started tying consistently again this winter I looked in my fly boxes from last year and realized how bad all of my flies were. I pretty much wanted to dump them all and tie more. They will still catch fish though I'm sure. But it just goes to show you how quickly you can improve. Your flies get better with each one.

[rich]

I have no idea about fly fishing but I do know that the bait a fish usually eats isn't the best and strongest one of the group. Something sets that one particular minnow or true fly a little bit different from the group. a broken wing in a flies case or a minnow that has already been hit.

[CapeMayRay]

No, your flies do not have to be perfect. Just do the best you can. Your tying will get better with every flie you make. We all try to start out the day with a good looking fly, but saltwater fish are a little less picky than the freshwater trout. They see movement of a flash and it is eat it up time.

Here are a few flies that continued to catch bass and blues all evening, one night. They were chewed up and yet the fish took them just like they did when they looked good. If you can tie a fly that looks better than these you are in business.

[swordfish31]

I don't think it makes too much difference if it is ratty looking or not. Around here in fresh water for smallmouth bass I think the rougher it looks the better. One thing that is good about tying flies yourself you can choose a really good hook to tie it on. I think a good sharp hook the right size for what you are fishing for is the most important thing.