Any help with tying a dabbler?

[roll cast]

Seriously need help tying dabblers, no matter what step by step or video I follw I still can't get them right. Its the cloaking bit that gets me anyone like to explain how the hell you do this I normally end up with a big lump of mallard on the front nothing like the nice delicate flies posted on here.

Thanks
AL

[hobble]

its all down to practice , as you pull your thread and tighten ever so slightly you will see the bronze roll or move around the head of the fly, opening as you tease the fibres open, watch the videos of lawerance finney flies, the guy is a expert and could teach a baby to do it by his videos,

cloaking is only one method of finishing a dabbler,

[roll cast]

Thanks his videos are great will have see if his method of pushing the mallard round with the thread works any better than putting it on in bunches
Thanks
AL

[sweenytodd]

Loads of ways of doing the winging , the rolling around method is not one I like .
I use paired slips from a left and right feather , lay them on top of each other ,offer them up to the fly and hold in place with the feather on top and going slightly round the sides then pinch'loop . Do 2 turns just to hold and then you can manipulate the fibers to where you want them and then tie down tight , trim and finish .
You will get used to how wide the slips are you use , all depends on how "cloaked" you want ya Dabbler ..

Here is a couple using the above method .....

You will see the different amounts of winging , as I said , up to you how much you use and how far around the fly you take the wing/cloak .
I don't like much Mallard under my fly and I feel it hides the body to much when viewed from below ( trouts eye view ) if it is over done .

Hope that helps

[weight_forward]

The way I do it was explained to me by Gerry (Ruthvenflyfisher) a while ago. It's done in three stages. A folded section about 5mm wide (i.e. 10mm wide strip of mallard folded in 2 to make 5mm) pinch looped onto the top (hold the bottom edge of the strip where you want the 'wing' to start), as you tighten the loop it rolls around the hook. Then add a smaller strip each side of the hook as large as needed for the style your tying. If you don't tighten down took much then you can fettle the cloak so that it looks even. Then a few tight raps to finish.

Hope that make sense - Steve

[maharg]

All great advice,try here as well.

YouTube - DavieMcPhail's Channel