My shot at tying Dry Flies

When I used to tie flies/use them, my favorite fly to use while fishing was a dry fly. I never got to tying them but I loved using them. The reason why I liked using them was because the way they float through the water. They glide elegantly on top of the water. In the book "Essential Trout Flies" by David Hughes, he talks about what dry flies are, what they do, and how you're supposed to use them.

Whenever I tried to tie dry flies I would mess up because how light/loose the material was. This time I was very patient and made sure I securely tied down the material to the shank of the hook. I tied the fly with a bigger hook because I wanted to be able to practice on a big hook so I could see everything I was doing and make sure I didn't make any mistakes.

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In the book "Essential Trout Flies" by David Hughes, he mentions when you tie dry flies, you wanna make sure you use light material. He also goes into detail about the fly having to rest lightly on the water before lifting off to freedom (46). I used a type of olive dubbing. I also used medium dun CDC for the wings. 

If I could go back and tie this fly again, I would try and use a green thread instead of black thread because it really shows on the fly. Also I would use a smaller hook and be a lot more careful with the eye of the hook. I could still use the eye of the hook if I used these flies but I would have a hard time getting my line through it. Also in the book on page 46, Hughes talks about three different types of CDC's (cul-de-canard which is translated as "butt of the duck") and I would of tied a harder one next time I go through these steps.

For anyone else that has tied flies, what are some tips that I could use to help me become more successful with tying dry flies?