Beginning Fly Tying

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fisherboy3

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Joined
Jun 9, 2009
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712
Hey guys,
I usually buy my flies but i want to get into tying.
Can you guys gimme a list of materials to get? So far i obviously know i need bobbins, stackers, a good vise, scissors, and thats all i know. I'm looking to tie up a good amount of nymphs, and dries. Anythings appreciated.- Kev
 
My advise in short would be to find a couple of patterns both wet and dry get the materials for those and begin with them. It's too easy to become overwhelmed wth trying too many at once.
 
A good fly shop should be able to help you out with picking materials and tools to get started. I agree with lv2nymph, start with a few patterns. Copy your purchased flies for patterns. Also, look for places that may offer beginner tying classes. Most are available for free or a small fee.
 
Some ideas:
1) Adams for dries (various body dolors)
2) Pheasant tails and Hare's Ears for nymphs
3) Flymphs for wets (brown dubbing, brown carpet thread for a rib, partridge for soft hackle ) (Even I can tie them easily.)

Don't forget to get MULTIPLE sizes of hooks in each style: nymph, dry, scud, streamer. I still struggle with hooks because the materials are so much more interesting. I forget about hooks when shopping.
 
I agree with the other posters. Pick out a few patterns you will be using and buy the materials for those patterns.
I took classes but you can learn quite a bit by watching youtube videos. Finding a mentor would be great if you can find someone close, someone to show you the basics and give you honest critiques and advice.
 
Above sounds about right, but some things I find really essential are: pheasant tail, some hare's ear dubbing (or make it yourself from a hare's mask), rabbit dubbing in a few colors, hooks in whatever sizes you like, peacock herl, a turkey tail feather, some gold ultra wire in size brassie, chinelle, marabou, saddle Hackles for wooly buggers, lead wire, and maybe some Brass or tungsten beads if you like fishing bead heads.

Thread is also important - you can do most things with 6/0 uni thread in black, Tan, and olive.

I found when I started tying that I wasn't ready to purchase dry fly hackles right away - they're really expensive! If you're definitely sure you'll enjoy fly tying go for it, but initially maybe start with nymphs, streamers, and wet flies- materials are generally cheaper.

Oh! Also a whip finisher (though you can whip finish by hand). Bodkin, hackle pliers, fine tweezers, and a bobbin threader all come in handy. J Stockard has their js tools line of tying tools that are really reasonable and very usable.
 
I recently started tying and I followed the advice to pick a few simple patterns to start with. Great advice. I started with wooly buggers, PT nymphs, and various bluegill flies. I also concur with buying plenty of hooks of different sizes. I think the absolute must have tools in addition to a vise are sharp scissors, a bobbin, bodkin, and whip finisher.

Things that caused me trouble were crowding the eye of the hook and using way to much material. Youtube and this site will provide every tying lesson that you will need except portion control. Now I buy a fly that I want to tie and use that to gauge the amount of material to use as others have suggested.

You should also plan for organization. You will be surprised how fast your collection of stuff can grow. I am way closer to being a minimalist then a hoarder and its surprising the amount of stuff I have collected in a matter of a handful of months.
 
Everyone is posting good advice. Stick to good patterns, Make yourself familiar with hook styles and know what brand/styles substitute for each other. Don't think if the pattern calls for a Mustad 234871abc you can't use another brand that is at least close to that style.

As a presenter at a fly fishing show said. The presentation was on fishing techniques and at the end of the session he said, "Do yourself a favor, go downstairs and get yourself a tying kit ans start tying flies. You won't save money but you'll have lots of flies"

I like it as I can do my own thing and it's a great way to stay in touch with our passion especially during these long winter cold spells.
 
Everyone nailed it so far. I would look for a cheap vice first though in case you realize its not for you. here is a list of things I would suggest you get.

vice-
start cheap order a cheap Thompson or something from ebay, or see if someone can lend you one, or give you one. I just gave mine away or I would hook you up. I am sure someone on here may have a beginner vice for you.

-If you are set on doing this, and feel you would really like tying, I would suggest a regal or renzetti traveler. Buy one vice and have it for ever, or just get replacement parts. Regal is my brand that I would go with to be honest. Great guys to deal with, and a great quality vice

Tools:

-good pair of scissors!!!-vitally important
-3-4 bobbins- annoying to only have one and switch thread
-whip finisher- not impearative but I enjoy this tool
-small hackle pliers-will pay off big when working with hackle on dry flies, especially small ones

Thread:

get a few spools of 140 denier or some smaller /0 threads
-olive, tan, black, white, brown
-these smaller diameter threads will help with not bulking up the fly a lot, and cause you less headaches. I like the 140 because it is a bit more durable, but can cause some issues with fraying.
-get a few in chartreuse, orange, and pink for hot spots

Hooks and hardware:

-a few packs of 7/64th, 1/8" beads (gold, black, and copper)
-pick up a few packs off hooks in wet fly or nymph in standard or 1xl variety
-size (18-12)
-a few pack of shrimp/caddis hooks size 16-10. I will tie some eggs on these hooks as well, work for midges as well

Materials: (If I forgot any please chime in guys)

Decide on what flies you want to try and tie. The following would be good for some go too nymphs for pa.

-Pheasant tail, hares ear, copper john, prince, walts worm, Muskrat, midges, green weenie, san juan worm, caddis patterns

-hares mask or hares dubbing in (natural, olive, black)
-pheasant tail clump-(natural, black, yellow are my favorites)
-peacock hearl- in strung or tails. I like the strung for most of my patterns
-brass wire (get this in a few colors and sizes I like the brassie, and small sizes my self
-flash back material- great for adding some flash back wing cases
-Turkey tail feathers, great for wing cases
-Goose biots (white, black, and brown)
-medium chenille-chartreuse, FL pink
-Hungarian patridge soft hackle-adding wetflies, and soft hackles to the mix

Dries: These materials should get you, Hendrickson, Redquill BWO, Adams, Sulfur, Elk hair caddis, some wulff patterns

Body:
-Look into the superfine dubbing box to start out, a few different colors of dubbing to make generic dries
-quills- easy to work with, I like the pre made quils myself but you can remove the fibers from hackle for the same thing, but not worth it IMO

hackle:
grizzly, brown, ginger, and grey dun I would suggest looking into the smaller packs in predetermined sizes to start out with. No sense spending 100's of dollars on necks

wing material:
-elk hair pick this up in natural and black for caddis patters
-calf tail- not impearative but works on some classic flies
-mallard flank, get this in white and yellow colors

others:
foam- great for crickets, hoppers, ants and other terrestrials

Tips:
-I would stay away from the beginner kits, often times your are given material you will never use, and less quality at that
-stick with it, it takes a long time to get the hang of things, and you will be constantly learning
-find a mentor- a huge amount of the learning curve can be cut by finding a mentor or joining a class
-youtube is your friend-there are a lot of videos out there, and posted on here for you to follow, Site Sponsor Allen Fly Fishing has quite a few on there page
-Don't give up- this aspect of our sport is addicting and catching a fish on a fly you tied yourself is like nothing else.
-Don't be afraid to try new patterns- very fun to grow your skills
-Learn proper proportions for flies, This is not a deal breaker when catching fish, but will make your flies look more uniform, and better. I was guilty of this, but got some constructive criticism on here and took it to heart. my flies look a lot better.
-Don't be afraid to ask for advice- many guys on here to help you out, and learn from
-GOOD LUCK, this is addicting and very rewarding.
 
Duplicate
 
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/78291?productId=1287238&qs=3016887_mercent_google_pla&attrValue_0=Black/Clear&mr:trackingCode=EB64D896-B0F0-E211-A497-90E2BA285E75&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=pla&mkwid=qMaR1795_dc&pcrid=34644945657
A great starter kit. Tools and materials. $129.
 
I will definitely stick with a few paterns. Micro eggs, buggers, pts, hares ear and stonefly nymphs are all my go to's. Shouldnt be too bad to tie. I have a friend whos a guide so he said he can teach me.-Kev
 
^^That's the best way to go.^^
Nothing beats one on one with an experienced tier.
 
Oh I have one more thing that I learned the hard way - if you're tying with beads, you should make sure you're buying 1xl nymph hooks instead of/in addition to the standard nymph hooks. Bead head pheasant tails and hare's ears get too short and stubby on a standard length hook. When I started tying the first few I tied just didn't look right, and it took me a few days to figure out that it was because my hooks were too short!
 
I'd buy a Fly Tying Kit. You will get what you need. Then you can try to decide if you want to continue.

Less than $50 if you look around. I've been tying on a BP tying kit for 7-8 years. Lots of tying materials have been purchased as well, but you get everything you need all in one shot.
 
Mike, you are spot on with your post. I have been tying for over 25 years and I wish I had YouTube around when I started out. It would have saved a ton of time and frustration. My suggestion would be to join a TU chapter in your area. The members can give you direction in your quest to learn about fly tying. Also if you can make one of the fly fishing shows in the area. Go with someone who knows how to tie and you will see a wealth of materials and guys who are experienced tying right in front of you. I wish you the best in your new venture and if I can give you a couple tips it would be : not to buy a tying kit, try to join a tying class if you can, it will be money well spent.
 
One of the things that a lot of us need to remember about getting a tying kit or spending quite a bit more for good supplies is, most people standing on the other side of the tying door looking in really don't know if it's something they'll do for the long run. I remember standing in that doorway and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it just to find out it wasn't for me. Now if you've been tying with someone and already know your hooked then that's a different story.
 
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