Sometimes, when I’m watching Tim Flagler tie flies, I get the feeling he’s speaking directly to me. He knows where more casual tiers — like me — are going to be tempted to cut some corners in the tying process, and he’s quick to point out that there’s usually no substitute for doing things correctly.
That’s probably true in the video above, where Tim makes the case for using both a brown and grizzly hackle in traditional dry flies that call for them, like an Adams, for instance.
Right off the bat, Tim addresses the temptation to simply go with one hackle or the other. You can, of course, but you’ll be disappointed in the results. It just doesn’t look right, Tim notes, and there’s no substitute for a perfectly tied flie.
He’s right, of course. Also, note how he wraps each hackle stem in separately — that also contributes to the handsome nature of a traditional dry fly tied with one of each hackle.
There are, indeed, places in fly tying where cutting corners is doable. But this isn’t one such application. Do it right. You’ll be happier with the results.