Beginning fly tying
how do i get started on fly tying? what should i look for in a fly tying kit? any recommendations?
thanks

Take it from me, Al. You do not want to buy a fly tying kit. The best way to get going is to buy a tool pack which consists of a bobbin, whip finisher, bodkin, hackle pliers,scissors and I believe bobbin threader. If you can afford it I would buy everything seperately but if not then go this way. Now you can buy all the materials you need and you can actually see the quality of the materials you're getting. I would also recommend the book and accompanying video, "Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple". I would strongly recommend taking a course and don't feel intimidated. There are a lot of tyers out there that can show you how THEY tie flies but can't show you how TO tie flies. If you're in the lower mainland I would contact Harold Lohr at Redl Sports in Burnaby and find out where and when he is teaching his next beginners course. He is a great instructor. The most important piece of equipment you'll buy is the vise. I must have gone through four in my first two years. Start with one in the fifty dollar range and if you like tying upgrade from there. I'm sure some fly shops will take the cheaper one in trade to sell you a more expensive one. I personally use a Regal and I swear by it. It cost 300.00 but after 20,000 flies a size 18 hook will bend before it slips in the jaws. I strongly believe that anyone that flyfishes should tie flies. You develop a deeper understanding for the insects you are imitating. Prof.

If you can find Harold he is a excellent instructor.Highly recommended and a great guy(the next up and coming of B.C.'s best?)

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Hello, Al.....I would echo all of John's comments...and suggest you opt for a vise with a rotary option. The USA Thompson "360" could serve you very well.. and is priced attractively. The Sunrise knockoffs are all right, once you know their weak points, and are prepared to do work-arounds. If not, then it's best to get a North American one off the start. Like John, I went through about that many, too. Their weakpoint is the wear washer at the back of the cam, in the cam model. Indian vises use recycled tool steel...old broken sockets, wrenches, etc... which are very hard. They wear the wear washer out in no time flat, causing no end of frustration. My Thompson "Pro" model (not the 360) had a very soft cam, and the lobe wore out after about a year. the wear washer on it lasted 2 years. The answer: a very hard wear washer which I made out of a broken buck knife blade, and the cam from a sunrise.. on the Thompson. this combo has lasted 5 years, and is stll going strong. I sold the remaining Sunrise vises to others, with hot wear washers, and not a lick of trouble. I now use three vises, depending on the job at hand..... Regal is primary, followed by a dedicated rotary Nor-vise, and the thompson.

On materials: one approach ensuring no wrong stuff is: buy the things you need for the patterns you want to learn to start with. Then, as funding and space permit, you expand. This keeps your inventory current, and you will soon see that certain materials keep popping up as common to many flies.

On hooks: The Japanese models from tiemco, daiichi, dai-riki are all quite nice, and start off really sharp. You pay for this at the till. The mustads out there have been time proved, and can be sharpened easy enough. Some of the bends are only available in the expensive models, so you may very well have some of each as time goes by.

Welcome to the mad world of fly tying...The fun never stops !!! cheers...... :>)

whoa...my head's spinning. guess i have to do more research. didnt understand a word about the vises. also, seems like u gotta spend quite a bit on the equipment. not like what i thought, about $100 max to get started.

Al just start small. Like the Prof said you don't need everything at once. Pick a few flies you would like to tie and start there. Don't let all the talk overwhelm you or you may never start. That would be the biggest mistake. Who cares if you get a cheaper model vise or improvise some of your tools.People who tied before us had alot less to work with and they did some truly amazing things. Just have fun.

Al,
I don't think anyone wants to overwhelm you with too much info on the way to go. I am sure the others are like me and took the uninformed road heading in and the first year cost much more money than it needed to. If you aren't too sure about whether you'll stick it out by all means by a fly
tying kit. They run between 65-90.00 and the one by Skagit Flies would be my choice. Prof.

Hey Al,
DEFINITELY get a decent vise! The bodkins, hackle pliers, and other stuff can all be improvised until you're SURE that you enjoy doing this.
When you're ready to start tying, go to the local library and pick up the book called "The Art of Fly Tying" by John VanVleit. I have also seen it displayed at Walmart. This book will show you EVERYTHING you need to know from starting the thread onto the hook, to using dubbing (I hate the stuff), to tying "proper" wing sets. All in all, I say that book more than anything helped me out immensely. It wouldn't hurt to attend a couple of classes either, to correct any bad habits.
Start slow, don't rush, and most important: Don't get frustrated! I learned how to do it...you should be able to as well! :)
Let me know when you get the hang of things and I can direct you to some real good flytying links!

One thing about a kit vise is that later they work great as a "road" vise for when you want to bring everything along but not certain about a 2-300.00 dollar vise.Kits do tend to have some stuff that a novice tier gets over whelmed with.Maybe talk to someone that twists up a hook now and then and ask them,don't be shy and ask some one on the water.Talk is cheap.

thanks a lot for the input guys. think i will get a kit and book to start off and see how it goes from there. i have read a little on it and it doesnt seem too difficult altho i do have a problem with doing intricate stuff with my hands

Al check out Superior Flies they have a kit for 60 on sale. If you live in the Kelowna area you get 2-2hour tying lessons free with the kit. It has every thing you need to get started.

Al,
An important thing to remember, is to ENJOY it! It really doesn't matter if you can't get 2 Tom Thumbs to look EXACTLY alike...heck, I can't even do that, and I've been tying for over 6 years now! (Maybe I shouldn't be braggin' about that)! Most of all, have fun. NOTHING beats the rush you get from a fish rising to a fly that YOU have made! I can give you some really easy recipes for some damn-fine trout flies when you get good at it...Just ask!
*

For Al and anyone else who has tied flies, thought of tying flies or even entertained the thought:
Go to the website listed below to get an enlightening look at fly tying. I think you will get a kick out of it!! Prof.

www.finefishing.com/flyfish/advancedtieflying.htm

John,
all very entertaining, but how do you find the time to read, let alone find such prose, what with running your hotel, fly tying, fishing, and typing the odd message on the Angling BC board.
A now sadly deceased friend of mine running a flytying class, was listing the materials required to tie a small upwinged dry fly
(BWO type).He said, for the wing take a pair of primaries from "A Hertfordshire Flat Sparrow" needless to say some of the Students fell for it, and asked for the source of supply, only to be told the number of one of our busiest roads.
P.S. when I can find the time I will try to read All of that story.
Mike

Well, put it this way Michael. Today is a cloudless day, 20 degrees celsius, 2 mph breeze and I'm sitting in front of the window tying "Tunkwa Temptors". Every time I tie a dozen I'll take a break and check the computer. That way I can tie much longer without the aches and pains.
I do get a strong ache though every time I lift my head and look out the window. Another week or so when I deliver my flies then I will start fishing twice a week. Until then a prisoner I will
be! Take care, Prof.

Prof when you start fishing I hope you will still have a little time for this board. As for me and probably others. I enjoy reading your input. Your posts are informative and you seem to be able to take a little ribbing without going off the deep end. A quality only shared by a few. Your experience is appreciated. Thanks

OH STOP IT! You're making me blush. I once asked Brian Chan about his articles on the outdoors and he said he started writing articles to help others become more proficient at flyfishing and I was so impressed by this that I try to follow his lead but on a much smaller scales. Thanks 'Carver, its
guys like you that keep me coming back. Take care,
Prof.

Typical. A guy goes out for a couple of hours on the water, and all "this" breaks loose. Give it a rest, you guys. If you want to hurl compliments at each other, take it off the board. Jeez.

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Bobber, if you're feeling left out.....you're one
of those guys too!! Prof.

To paraphrase a great man, "I would belong to no club that would have me as a member" (I think it was Haig-Brown, but it could've been Groucho Marx. I always get those two confused).

Prof, you really are a stabilizing influence, and it's appreciated. Typically Canadian - a natural peace-keeper. Not a bad flyfisher either, by the sounds of it. If you'd make more consistent use of duct tape and split shot, you'd be my hero (are you listening, Carver ?).

On a more serious note, what do you recommend for those who have left fly-tying to their middle years and now can't see anything closer than arm's length (if your arms are 10 feet long, that is) ? I've considered one of those humongous magnifiers on a gooseneck, but it doesn't seem too practical to me.

Maybe best left to young men with young eyes (or old men with young eyes).

Actually Bobber, the lambswool patch fell off my fly vest and worrying that the flies wouldn't dry out properly I sewed a big 6x6 patch of duct tape on(sticky side out of course) and put a row of splitshot along the bottom to stop it from flapping in the wind. A bonus to this is now I don't have to struggle getting the treble hooks from my flatfish out of that fur. As for the eye thing I have a permanent burn on my forehead from resting it against the light over my vise. My eyes have definitely "seen" better days. How about one of those magnifying glass visors? Those things look cool. I have one that you could have for the price of a photo of you wearing it! Take care,Prof.

Hell bobber don't pass up a deal like that. You could wear them fish'en. Just stick your head underwater and see every fish within 60 feet of you. Just make sure you duct tape them to your head so the current don't knock'em off.

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Okay Carver, sounds good, but after a minute or so, can I pull my head out of the water ? I don't wanna drown on a technicality ...

(Professor - thanks for the tip. I've tried the duct tape drying patch, but the damn thing kept flipping up and sticking to my moustache. Painful to remove and pretty embarrassing too. I'll try the lead weight idea. I figure it'll look cool too, which is really important.)

Yes, Dahlins! It is better to look good than to feel good and if you added that magnifying lens visor to your ensemble you would look maaarvelous!
Prof.

Bobber you don't have to pull your head out. Just use a snorkle. You will look important to.They will think your one of those fish counter guys. The drawback being, you may atract crowds of fun seekers and hillbillys. In the latter case it will not be a problem as you will fit right in.

Al, just reading here and thought I would throw in my two bits worth. Hubs Sports in Abbotsford, and Fraser's Tackle in Mission, both host free fly tying nights. I actually used to teach at Fraser's but am no longer there. I know their Friday night tying still catches a few good tiers that are usually more than willing to get a new comer started with all the basic skills to tie at least a half dozen flys. Both sport shops host the tying nights on friday, both are free and both will supply you with the vice, tools and material to go at it. Why don't you give this a try before you go out and spend any money. One big problem though. There is a very good chance you will enjoy it, you will catch fish with flys you have tied, and you will end up spending more than you first thought you may have to. It is a terrific hobby that is both pratical and artistic. Give one of the free tying nights a shot and good luck.

thanks everyone...thought i'd let you all know that i've already started on it...and it's a blast!!!

Thanks Ronald I almost forgot. When I lived down that way we had friends who lived in Mission and I was teaching their son to tie flies. Every Friday night we would go to Fraser's Friday Night Tie In.
It was a great chance to see and tie other people's favourite patterns. It is also great for beginner's as Ken Fraser was accommodating and patient without talking down to anyone so less experienced tyers don't have to feel intimidated
to attend. Thanks, Prof.

I am sorry I can't place your name to a face. We probably tied flies together. I was teaching tying there until spring last year. Where you living now Prof? AND....any good pattern suggestions for Hefley Lake last weekend of May?
Ron

For Heffley Lake...
The best patterns I have found are Doc Spratleys (either Black or Green), 52 Buicks, and Gomphus nymphs.

Ron, I am now in Cache Creek and I have never fished Heffley but I do tie a pattern for a friend
who spends a week up there every year. It is a yellow v-rib damsel, TMC3761 #10, yellow swiss straw for wingcase and three sets of aggravating brown hackle legs. He swears by this fly and he would pay any price. Because of the time to tie
I raised the price to 3.00 per fly and he didn't even bat an eye. He catches(supposedly)some very large fish on those damsels. Take care, Prof.
PS The young fella's name was Brent Krivoshein. Take care, Prof

I have fished Heffley a few times at that time of year and the damsel(brown for me) Prof. talks about worked great. Also black Doc Spratleys worked pretty good.
Good Luck

Speaking of Doc Spratleys, the cheap ones tied off shore come with either wire rib or mylar tinsel rib. I would like to know if anyone has found a difference between the two effectively speaking?
Take care, Prof.
PS Silver or gold rib??

Hi Prof!
I tie my own, and have found NO measurable difference in tying with mylar rib or tinsel rib. When they're biting, they'll take either one! I have noticed that the SILVER rib works better than the gold though.

Hi Al, my suggestion on getting started with fly tying would be for you to visit your local fly shop and enroll yourself in a fly tying course. The courses would save you a lot of time and frustration compared to learning on your own plus its a whole lot more fun with a group of people. The books that are available are pretty good but they are alot easier to follow if someone has taught you the basics first. I found that the videos by Kevin Longard from Skagit River Flys are two of the best. His videos cover B.C. patterns and are very clear in their presentation. Good luck and hopefully this helps.

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