Beginning Fly Tying

Learning How To Tie:

Go to an LL Bean, Cabela's, or another local fly store and ask when you can have lessons. You can also look onto YouTube and many other video sites to see quality videos of flies to tie.

What To Buy:

Buy at the store, do not buy online. I got an online kit and it came with a bent bobbin which was an easy fix. The case of hooks was broken so there were hooks everywhere, finally the threads were broken. The spools were bent and cracked making them extremely difficult to use. I advise buying quality equipment, but you do not need to spend a ton of money. I would spend approximately $50 on starter fly tying gear. Finally, when looking for a bobbin, the ceramic bobbins are not for beginners. If you plan to tie with one bobbin your entire life it is a good investment but they are more difficult to use and can be very frustrating. The reason being the ceramic liner buts out at the end of the tube where the spool goes in. This makes getting the thread through the hole very difficult, even with copper wire.

What Flies Should I Tie:

Start easy. If you want to start tying dry flies you are stretching it a little bit. You need to work up to them. You should start on streamers; they are both the easiest to tie and can be used almost year round. Hooks for these flies are all different. For all streamers a size 8 is a safe hook. It is easy enough to work with, as a beginner, and is also a good size for catching most fish. If you are tying for bass you should focus more on poppers and possibly some larger streamers. Saltwater fly fishing is something that I have not done and I have not tied any of those flies. They are often much larger with much more materials on them. They are also more expensive than many of the cheaper streamers. One fly that I suggest tying if you are a beginner is a Mickey Finn. You do not have to use any dubbing which is something that I can't stand. Also, they are good streamers that can be tied with ease. They also give you some practice tying.

Tips:

I suggest tying a few of the same fly at a time. You should stick with the same fly for about three sessions of three ties and tie ten of the same fly before moving on. This gives you practice with that fly and the last few will be nearly good enough to sell depending on your skill and the difficulty of the fly.

Almost all intact flies will catch fish. A fly does not have to look pretty to catch fish. They are less picky than the fishermen. A great example of this is ugly flies. They are instinct flies more than imitators. They are shiny, colorful, and attract fish.

     Thank You for reading

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