Fra Diavolo for Project Healing Waters with Eric Ausitn

[@jimbolt5170]

Eric, thanks for going to the trouble of including us as you created this fly. I know it would have been far easier just to do it by yourself, but because of your extra effort, we learned a lot. The fly turned out great. I’m not part of Healing Waters, but I do appreciate your supporting them.

[@Single_Handed_7.62]

Having lost my dominate hand in Iraq and learning to tie flies I appreciate the instruction and your assistance to PHW. Someday I’d like to attend an event and learn how to properly fish the flies I tie. I’m trying to tie traditional feather wing and Atlantic salmon patterns but I need to find or make something better suited to my needs for tying in materials. I use the evergreen hand tying tool, and they are very helpful, but have some limitations I’m trying to overcome. Setting quill and feather wings are very difficult one handed. But videos like yours help give me ideas. Thank you, Sir.

[@traditionalfliesanddries5962]

I do not own that tool, I'm sorry. I will get back to you with ideas. Email me at [e-mail] and I promise to come up with something.

[@Single_Handed_7.62]

@@traditionalfliesanddries5962 I’d be surprised if you did. It’s an apparatus that attaches to your vise stem designed in the Pacific Northwest to allow folks like myself to tie with one hand. I only mention it so that if someone else has one hand, or hand injuries (I.e. arthritis) they can google it and maybe get one for themselves as well as reference for yourself so you would know what I use. Thank you sir. No need to put yourself out. But I find problems are easier to overcome when it has more eyes and if those eyes have more experience than I do, all the better.

[@traditionalfliesanddries5962]

By the way, are you aware of Wilson, a tier from Utah who invented the Wilson Ant decades ago? It's a very unique wet fly with a teal breast feather wing tied in concave side forward, very unusual fly. He was a one-armed tier. I don't know how he did it. The Wilson Ant series was legendary out West.

[@mikehulsey4813]

I’ve watched you build this fly more than a dozen times my friend, and I am honestly just as captivated now as I was the first time I watched you tie this. Your work is beautiful, and I’m determined to at some point sit down and take in the project myself. I know that I can get there, however there is a lot of prep work and material prep to get ready for it and I’ve just not been disciplined enough to get there. I always seem to have something else on the bench in front of me that needs to be tied for a trip, one of the kids, a friend, ect and I’m sure you know what that is like. I have watched your materials videos and dying tips, I just simply need to do it. Anyway, as I’ve said before, thanks for sharing this with the world, it’s a better place for things like this!

[@JasRWms99]

Thank you. A very nice presentation. A great tutorial on the creation and building of this fly.

[@stevetrybalski3082]

Eric, great tutorial! It was very informative. I apreciate that fact that you emphasized specific techniques throughout the tutorial. It is a great way to pass on your knowledge. Thanks for posting and stay safe!

[@aaronmiller6118]

Beautiful fly!

[@kitseaton5206]

Eric, I am loving your channel - You have a new subscriber!

[@eaustin2006]

Thanks Kit! I'm honored.

[@malcolmtytell7252]

Terrific explanations on the tying process,good teaching!

[@starskyarsky8374]

Stunning!

[@whiskeyjin9]

Very nice !!

[@RockyPhillips]

Wow thank you so much. Really great to see you go through this fly. I would love to see you maybe do a segment on sizing your toppings right before your mount them. I struggle with that

[@eaustin2006]

Yes Rocky I plan to do a video on material prep and selection for these flies soon. I'll base it around a Jock Scott.

[@RockyPhillips]

@@eaustin2006 awesome thank you

[@liziyiflyfishing]

Eric, can I use kinfisher or rolling bird feathers instead of continga?

[@traditionalfliesanddries5962]

Yes, absolutely. Please do. Cottinga is all but unavailable and hideously expensive.

[@liziyiflyfishing]

@@traditionalfliesanddries5962 Thank you so much Eric!