Five flies to master the basics.

[Snowblind 0]

I was thinking about a comment I made in another thread about Wulff being a "capstone" fly for beginning fly tiers. I then thought about what skills a beginner needed to know. I drew the line for skills at doing legs or wings like a midge pattern.

 

From there I wanted to come up with minimum set of flies to establish a solid set of skills for a novice to master and could consider themselves a "journeyman" tier. Any recommendations for "replacement" fly's that teach the same skills or skill you think I have missed or changes to my terminology are welcome. This is not a set of fly's to "catch all fish", although they are all good patterns, but to teach someone how to tie.

 

Lastly, I think this minimizes the "shopping list" for a new tier while giving the materials needed for a wide range of other flies.

 

Wooly Bugger

Skills learned:

Match bead to hook size

Tail sizing/proportion

Soft loop/wrap

Palmer hackle

Body wrapping with yarn or chenelle

Wire wrapping on hook

Wire guard wrapping (to protect hackle and body material)

 

Hair's ear nymph

Skills learned:

Stiff hair tails

Preparing dubbing: combing/trimming/blending/

Tapered Dubbed body

Wing casings

Thorax

1/3 tail/body/thorax proportioning

Whip finish

 

Elk hair Caddis

Skills learned:

Double tapered body

Hair stacking

Tensioned hair flaring

 

Parachute Addams

Skills learned:

Quill or biot body work (or dubbed body)

Posting hair/fibers

Feather barbule tail

Horizontally wound dry hackle

 

Royal Wulff

Skills learned:

Segmented body

Multiple tie offs/restart of thread

V-wing posting

Roping Peacock strands

Vertical dry hackle

[smallieFanatic 0]

Don't forget on all of those, the soft loop/wrap, the fly tiers best friend Good list.

[Snowblind 0]

Don't forget on all of those, the soft loop/wrap, the fly tiers best friend Good list.

 

Added. I only listed a skill/techique the first time it used. Added whip finish to the list too. (even though I rarely use it)

 

 

[Hairstacker 0]

I would substitute the muddler minnow for the elk hair caddis. Besides employing all the skills used to tie the elk hair caddis, the muddler minnow will also provide practice wrapping a flat tinsel body, tying a feather wing, and spinning deer hair.

 

-- Mike

[Snowblind 0]

I would substitute the muddler minnow for the elk hair caddis. Besides employing all the skills used to tie the elk hair caddis, the muddler minnow will also provide practice wrapping a flat tinsel body, tying a feather wing, and spinning deer hair.

 

-- Mike

 

I am liking the idea. But I am not sure if I would classify spinning deer hair as a basic skill. More like intermediate.

 

I was going to think about another post about 5 intermediate skill bugs and was think a deer hair hopper, which would cover legs and spinning deer hair.

 

I have not come up with a full list of "intermediate skills" yet.

 

[DrVette 0]

I may out of line, but i don't think that any parachute hackle would fall under beginer pattern. I remember trying to just learn a simple thread body going to a hackle gave me fits untill i learned to place the hackle right as to allow a nice head. It is one of the reasons i came to love the renagade pattern so much...it made it easier to see how a hackle should go on when you are putting one on each end of a fly. Maybe a misquito like pattern with 2 hackle tips for wings???

Just trying to look at it from absolute beginner angle.

[Hairstacker 0]

I am liking the idea. But I am not sure if I would classify spinning deer hair as a basic skill. More like intermediate.

 

I was going to think about another post about 5 intermediate skill bugs and was think a deer hair hopper, which would cover legs and spinning deer hair.

 

I have not come up with a full list of "intermediate skills" yet.

 

I guess I was having difficulty with the term, "journeyman." I must admit it is a challenge to figure out what is appropriate for a "beginner" skill set; for example, flyanglersonline.com's fly tying tutorial section places both the parachute adams and the elk hair caddis in its "Intermediate" section, although I personally think they're both appropriate for beginners to tackle. Then again, I think spinning simple deer hair heads is pretty basic too. In any event, I do like the concept of what you're attempting to do.

 

By the way, I noticed you're from Sacramento -- are you a member of Kiene's board too? If not, you should check it out.

[flytire 0]

i would exclude ANY wulff as a beginner pattern. this too should be an intermediate pattern.

 

 

lets break some thread. thread control is an important skill to learned. when to use what thread. what the sizes mean. how to attach thread onto the hook. break some thread. get to know the breaking strength of the thread you are using. learn how to untwist some threads to tie as a ribbor for nice flat heads. etc

 

identifying tools and what they do. how to put a hook in a vise and how to adjust the jaws. how to use a whip finisher or teach the hand whip finish.

 

hook knowledge. when to use what hook

 

materials and how to use them

 

hackles and how to use them

 

etc etc etc

[eugward 0]

Maybe a mickey finn. It allows the use of tinsel and to tie in buck tail, and making a thread head. Or a Clouser minnow getting the eyes tied in a and working with buck tail and flash. They can also learn to stack the buck tail.:headbang:

[JSzymczyk 0]

i would exclude ANY wulff as a beginner pattern. this too should be an intermediate pattern.

 

 

lets break some thread. thread control is an important skill to learned. when to use what thread. what the sizes mean. how to attach thread onto the hook. break some thread. get to know the breaking strength of the thread you are using. learn how to untwist some threads to tie as a ribbor for nice flat heads. etc

 

identifying tools and what they do. how to put a hook in a vise and how to adjust the jaws. how to use a whip finisher or teach the hand whip finish.

 

hook knowledge. when to use what hook

 

materials and how to use them

 

hackles and how to use them

 

etc etc etc

:headbang: :headbang:

 

ANY Wulff as a beginner pattern? Maybe for a few gifted individuals. Royal Wulff, with the 3 part body, no way. I'm just throwing it out there like it is.

 

I ALWAYS start out teaching someone more or less along the lines of what Flytire said. Then I show them basic parts like tail, body, hackle. Then we tie about 15 or 20 Woolly Worms, at first without any tail, then add a yarn, then a hackle fibre tail. When someone can tie a good, basic, simple woolly worm well (tail, chenille body, evenly palmered hackle without breaking stuff) then we move on to other stuff.

 

Occasionally someone can hit the ground running, but slippery hair wings and busting off peacock herl, IMO, isn't a beginner skill set.

 

If we've been doing this stuff for years, it is easy to take for granted that things we perceive as simple are really not.

[Snowblind 0]

i would exclude ANY wulff as a beginner pattern. this too should be an intermediate pattern.

:headbang: :headbang:

 

ANY Wulff as a beginner pattern? Maybe for a few gifted individuals. Royal Wulff, with the 3 part body, no way. I'm just throwing it out there like it is.

 

 

I must be talented then, or too stupid to know what not to try. :bugeyes: I have been tying seriously for less than a year and it is one of my standard patterns.

 

I also found Parachutes easier to master than a normal hackle. Hard to crowed the head with a Parachute.

 

I would not even dare try a deer hair pattern, it is one of my goals for this year.

 

If we back away from the Wulff as too hard, I think the Clouser would make a good substitution.

 

Then we need to replace the Parachute addams with something that has peacock hurl and a vertical hackle. I would not care if it is dry or wet. A coachman?

 

Flytiers suggestions are dead on on the "so basic we forget they are needed". Understanding thread tension/breaking is crucial if you don't like crying a lot.

 

I think I will rework the list and try again...

 

 

[Dezod 0]

 

Then we need to replace the Parachute addams with something that has peacock hurl and a vertical hackle. I would not care if it is dry or wet. A coachman?

 

My $0.02 would be to add a prince nymph. Herl body, I tie mine with a soft hackle type collar instead of a beard and the thing seriously catches fish wherever I have fished it.

 

C

[flytire 0]

i would also add the 7 basic body forms to learn and build on

 

1. herl body

2. chenille body

3. floss body

4. yarn body

5. dubbing body

6. quill body

7. tinsel

 

Then we need to replace the Parachute addams with something that has peacock hurl and a vertical hackle. I would not care if it is dry or wet. A coachman?

 

ok. take item 1 above, add a red hackle fiber tail and a grizzle hackle and you get a "grizzly hackle peacock" or take item 3 above using yellow floss, add in the red hackle fiber tail, tinsel rib and a grizzly hackle and you get a "grizzly hackle yellow". both of these flies build on the basic body form.

[redietz 0]

I didn't see anything there that includes conventional wings -- either duck flank or quill.

[Camo Clad Warrior 0]

I think that it might be helpful for the beggining folk, to add a list of "optional" patterns. Patterns they can tie with the given skills but are still a easier pattern skill wise. Such as a griffith gnat pr renegade. I also think that a chronomid should be added to the list. The chronomid teaches a tier that less is more, and teaches controll of materials and thread.