Tiny flies -- how small?

A place to discuss the collecting and tying of classic flies, the tyers who made them famous, the tools, materials and techniques they used as well as the waters they were designed for. While classic is generally used to describe old things, classic is also used in the sense of first class or in the highest form. Therefore a fully dressed Salmon Fly, or a Carrie Stevens Streamer are just as much classics as a Chernobyl Ant would be. Enjoy the forum.

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GerardH
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#21

Post by GerardH »

Very impressive, Nick. Last year at almost 60 I finally started tying (after giving up on it in 1977) and I love the challenge of tying as small as I can if they're fishable patterns -- I think getting pulled in by the Judge back in the early '70s when I used to check out the Anatomy of a Fisherman from our library captured my imagination with this photo:

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I can definitely see a need for #26 or even #28 on some of the smaller olives we have over here, I'm not sure if it pays to go any smaller. Midges...I cover that with Griffith's gnats, so #24 seems to be as small as I need. My vision is going fast, but I still have steady hands...making hay while I can.

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flyfishingpastor
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#22

Post by flyfishingpastor »

I've never felt the need to tie or fish patterns in the high 20's or low 30's. But, that's just me. I struggle to tie on flies that are over 20 - and size 20 is getting to be a hassle to tie on the tippet.

Nowadays, I tie mostly 16's to size 20, and I do pretty well on them. I tie some 24's for my son-in-law - because he asks me to tie them. Since I rarely tie them anymore, they are getting more and more difficult for me to tie, so I may end up sending him to the fly shop for them - or tie them himself. :)

If you like fishing flies that small and can (both) tie them and tie them on, I wish you all the best and I am the tiniest bit jealous that your eyesight is so darned good! :)

Pat

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GerardH
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#23

Post by GerardH »

flyfishingpastor wrote:
08/23/22 10:53

If you like fishing flies that small and can (both) tie them and tie them on, I wish you all the best and I am the tiniest bit jealous that your eyesight is so darned good! :)

Pat
My eyesight is fading fast, but I still have steady hands and good dexterity and I want to take advantage of what I have left of both while I can...if my dad's genetics prevail, I can count on my fly fishing career being over shortly. Despite my attempts at fly tying in the mid-1970s, I bailed on it and didn't pick it up again until last fall when I was almost 60 and it's been great fun tying and fishing micro patterns you can't find in the bins. I have a small window of opportunity and I want to push the envelope as far as I can while I can.

billems
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#24

Post by billems »

GerardH wrote:
07/23/22 12:23
In west-central WI, fishing small patterns is requisite if you want to consistently catch fish through the season -- tiny olives (the mayfly formerly known as pseudocleons, plauditis, etc.), tricos, midges are some common hatches we see. I love the challenge of tying and fishing patterns for these no-see-um hatches...despite declining eyesight and reduced hook-up percentage, it's a thrill for me. Right now I tie and fish #24 olive, griffith's gnat, and trico patterns and I have #26 hooks that I'm contemplating some small olive patterns...but how small is practical? I'm wondering how small folks here will tie and fish and what patterns those might be.

Thanks!
I've fished #28s and enjoyed them. Whatever it takes. A good small dry is: Thread body (color of choice), no tail, one rooster hackle, twice the size of the hook (an #18 hackle for a #22. Wind hackle like a traditional dry fly, then pull all the hackle straight up and tie figure eights to hold hackle up. Bad ass fly.

Dave M-2
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#25

Post by Dave M-2 »

#26’s are the smallest I tie and fish.

Dave M

billems
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#26

Post by billems »

I've fished the small olives down to #28. Mostly, I fish #24s for the hatch. tricos are #24, almost always.

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ibookje
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#27

Post by ibookje »

How about a size 20 Humpy?
It's so tiny it's almost impossible to get a sharp picture close by


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Tokyoboo
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#28

Post by Tokyoboo »

I was very surprised to see this picture when I opened the forum as it focuses on extremely small flies. I can just tie a vintage fly tiny size. I was thinking only of synthetic material. Thanks for the great tying and tips.

Bill Terry
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#29

Post by Bill Terry »

barebo wrote:
07/25/22 07:32
What amazes me the most regarding the miniscule flies you fish is how on earth do you track them in the midst of clouds of naturals in the air and on the water? Hendricksons, Sulphurs, Quill Gordons, etc. I can follow in the pack but these tiny guys? Even if I was able to tie a 22 or 24, beyond 15' I'm sure I'd lose the ability to follow it in the drift.
My answer is strike-indicator dry-fly fishing! A couple of feet above the fly, I put a small tuft (about 1/2” long) of New Zealand Strike Indicator wool of a color that I can see against the particular surface conditions. Usually, when I spot the indicator, I can find the fly nearby, but sometimes I just have to wait for the indicator to move.

Ibookje, on my screen your Humpy appears at about a size 10. Even if the actual fly were a size 10, it would be an impressive tie. At size 20, well, that’s just amazing. Wow!
Ad piscatoribus sunt omnes res secundi.

billems
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#30

Post by billems »

In our bailiwack in late summer/early fall, you either fish the tiny olives, or forget dry fly fishing. If you can't see the fly, think of it as an emerger. Widen your gaze. Even unfocused, you can pick up in the periphery the take. For tying, you'll need to extra strong magnifying glasses.

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kevinhaney1
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#31

Post by kevinhaney1 »

I use size 78 dry flies when the going gets tough. I can’t see them, but my fly tyer assures me they are there…
Last edited by kevinhaney1 on 10/27/22 19:42, edited 1 time in total.
Kevin Haney, Vintage Anglers
http://www.vintageanglers.com

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GerardH
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#32

Post by GerardH »

As an update, I found #26 TMC 100 dry fly hooks and tied a couple dozen CDC-wing duns and parachute patterns. I then got hold of #26 & #28 midge hooks that I was able to tie CDC sparkle dun emergers -- all three patterns proved to be extremely effective this fall and with the Tiemco hooks, I vastly improved my hook-up percentage when I started bending the hook to create an offset. The biggest challenge for me was not setting the hook too quickly -- you could usually see the fish come up to inspect the fly before taking it and I had to learn to hold off for a second or two, otherwise I was yanking the fly out of their mouth.

Tommasini
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#33

Post by Tommasini »

ibookje wrote:
09/02/22 17:37
How about a size 20 Humpy?
It's so tiny it's almost impossible to get a sharp picture close by


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Beautiful and perfect tie, love to have a dozen of those for my small stream Trout!

headwaters
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Re: Tiny flies -- how small?

#34

Post by headwaters »

Ditto!!!

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