vinceu

Tied my first couple of flies. Took a stab at the old reliable Brassie. First one I completely messed up (still saved it though for nostalgia purposes). Second one was good, but I wasn't too happy with the "tightness" of the copper wire. My third one turned out pretty good! I attached a picture, but I'm afraid the quality isn't the best. The one on the left was my second fly, and the third is on the right. I tied several more since these. I used black Dubbing for some and others I used Peacock Herls. Dubbing was (for me) much easier to work with, but I like how the herls look better. Anyway, I'm loving it!

Is anyone planning on attending the Fly Fishing Show in Lancaster PA this weekend? I will be tying at the show on Saturday and Sunday. If you are in the area, please stop by my table and say hello (last name is Marino). If anyone wants to meet up for lunch or a drink after the show, I would be happy to join in. I will look forward to hopefully meeting some of you there.

Mike.

I was there. Of course I just saw this message now! I wish I saw this earlier. I would have loved to see you tie; as well as shared a drink afterwards!

Yesterday, I attended the Fly Fishing Show in Lancaster Pennsylvania. I found myself attracted to all the fly tiers who where lined around the walls. I walked the isles watching as they tied their flies. I had my head down as I passed each station looking in fascination as these people created such beautiful flies. I was walking by one station when I heard the man behind the table say, "Are you a tier?" I looked up to find a friendly gentleman with a smile on his face, tying a beetle. I chuckled and explained to him that I'm in the beginning stages and am going to give it my best shot. He began to give me advice; like not to go a buy material, just to "buy" it. Stick to lots of black and whites. He told me to make sure I buy the best vise I can afford and he said if I don't remember anything else he told me, he said to keep control with the the thread, as he showed me by using his blobbin close to the hook. He continued giving me advise as he finished the beetle, put it in a container and handed it to me. He asked me to give it a try and email him to let him know how it worked. He told me that above all else, you'll never forget that feeling of catching that fish with a fly that you tied. He gave a great impression. His name is Bruce Corwin. Check out his web page www.brucecorwin.com

One thing I can recommend is getting in touch with your local fly shop and or fly fishing club, if you have one in your area, they are a great source of information and help. Having someone show you how to do it, then correcting mistakes early on prevents you from picking up bad habits and getting frustrated and giving up because of it. I don't know where I'd be without the help and patience of my local club members, I'm taking a hair spinning class right now and our teacher is a club member and has endless patience with all of us in the class. It is worth the time to look for a club in your area. JMHO

 

Blane

Yes, Thank you! I think this is the best way to go at this time and I am now in the process of searching clubs out in my area.

Ok, I just received my new/first fly kit.... where to I start? Vise appears to be good and solid. Lots of materials to work with; blended rabbit, wooley bugger legs, nice assortment of dubbing, Koseir (not sure what this is), hackles, and so on and so on.... Where do I start?

 

Welcome!

I would recommend you start with either the wooly bugger or hare's ear nymph. Google each of these with "step by step" and you will find good videos and pictures. Focus on the technique. Maybe even before you begin work on how to start the thread- again check you tube.

Enjoy!

PS- keep some of your first flies around, its a good reminder of progress.

Thank you!

What type of fish do you go after? Bass? Bluegill? Trout? Do you have any favorite patterns you already like to fish? Youtube is great if you have something in mind and want to see how it is done. Start out with a wooly bugger though. You can use them to catch bass, panfish, trout and many more. Start out slow...try to get one or two patterns down before moving on to another one.

 

Some simple patterns...

 

Bass: Clouser minnow and wooly bugger

 

Panfish: spider, ant, grass hopper (anything foam really)

 

Trout: Wooly bugger, mickey finn, black ghost

 

There are many more options out there. Maybe if you could give a little more info...where you will be fishing (ponds, lakes, small streams), what fish you are after, I will try to get a better list together for you... and I'm sure a few others will be sure to help out too!

 

And welcome to the obsession... I mean hobby.

Thanks for the tip. I will be fishing mostly for trout on streams, small river. I'm in Northeast PA so I have a large amount of options for bodies of water full of nice trout.

What type of fish do you go after? Bass? Bluegill? Trout? Do you have any favorite patterns you already like to fish? Youtube is great if you have something in mind and want to see how it is done. Start out with a wooly bugger though. You can use them to catch bass, panfish, trout and many more. Start out slow...try to get one or two patterns down before moving on to another one.

 

Some simple patterns...

 

Bass: Clouser minnow and wooly bugger

 

Panfish: spider, ant, grass hopper (anything foam really)

 

Trout: Wooly bugger, mickey finn, black ghost

 

There are many more options out there. Maybe if you could give a little more info...where you will be fishing (ponds, lakes, small streams), what fish you are after, I will try to get a better list together for you... and I'm sure a few others will be sure to help out too!

 

And welcome to the obsession... I mean hobby.

Thanks for the tip. I will be fishing mostly for trout on streams, small river. I'm in Northeast PA so I have a large amount of options for bodies of water full of nice trout.

Ok, I just received my new/first fly kit.... where to I start? Vise appears to be good and solid. Lots of materials to work with; blended rabbit, wooley bugger legs, nice assortment of dubbing, Koseir (not sure what this is), hackles, and so on and so on.... Where do I start?

I have been anxious to tye this fly since I started. It is not something that I would personally, based on spin fishing, see catching a fish, but it looked pretty neat. Forgot about it for a while, then a buddy of mine brought one to me to see. Based on the books I thought this fly would be larger, when I saw the size I had to come home and give it a try. I learned a few things last night in this attempt, small does not always mean small wire as you can see in the first two on the top. I have a hard time working the wire and keeping the thread bobbin seperate, ended up propping the bobbin on a tackle box while I worked the wire. I attempted to use peacock herl as well. Many new items actually made this a challenge, I learned alot, and can not wait to give these a shot on the water.

Boy I have a lot to learn

Very nice!

Thanks guys. I appreciate the help!

Hello all:

I'm brand new. I've been reading up on fly tying since I started fly fishing. I think it's time for me to give it a try. Any advice on a good beginner vise? Not look to spend a lot of money; in case I find tying's not for me. Thank you!