Variations

Tying your own flies enables you to replicate your standard favourite fly patterns but it also let's you use your imagination and make changes and and make adjustments which may or may not make the pattern more attractive to trout.

Flytying, especially on dark winter nights is very satisfying and can be very rewarding especially if you can come up with something new and original that turns out to be a successful trout catcher.

However it is said that nothing is new in flytying.
I tend to go along with that point of view and think that so called new patterns are just variations  of something that has gone before.

This doesn't stop me from trying to come up with something original though.
However most times I tie variations which I find very enjoyable to do.

Tying your own flies gives you an edge when the standards are not catching it also opens up your mind to try something new away from the mainstream
But most of all its just a lot of fun.

Here are a few flies that Ive tied recently which are variations of the Kate McLaren, Soldier Palmer and others which I tied along the same lines but slightly different that I  noted in some flytying books.