The Endless Online Fly-Tying Contest

Hacklehead is a free, flexible tool for holding fly tying contests online. Join contests, judge them, or create your own.

There are automatic contests every month, custom contests, and a running competition for the best fly of all time.

The top contenders:

December Blues
by CalebBoyle
Rating: 8.80

Tiger Beetle
by GONZO
Rating: 8.75

Hendrickson Emerger
by GONZO
Rating: 8.67

Browse the other leaders in rankings...

How it Works

Submit photos of flies you've tied, and browse through other flies, rating them from 1 (worst) to 10 (best). First, log in or quickly register:

Registration is necessary so people can't vote on a fly more than once, and so you can be contacted about prizes if you win.

Join Contests

Easier than catching a tree with your backcast.

Take a digital photo of a fly you've tied.
Register and log in to Hacklehead.
Click the add fly icon.
Enter a name, select a size and category, and select the file. It has to be in jpeg format, which is the default for most cameras.
Optionally, you can describe your fly and how it was tied, or join custom contests.
Click the 'Submit' button and you're done!

Judge Contests

Finally, a place to be opinionated on the Internet!

Register and log in to Hacklehead.
Click the rate icon.
Rate the current fly from 1 to 10.
Optionally, leave a critique in the comments.
A link to the next fly will appear.

Whether you win or not, Hacklehead is a great way to get feedback on your tying, or build a snazzy portfolio (like Gonzo's) to immortalize your flies. Think of it as an eternal fly wallet where your flies are never out of order and never look too chewed.

Don't be embarrassed to display your uglier creations, too. Check out Troutnut's portfolio for some of the first flies I tied.