Beginning Fly Tying

[Sidney 0]

I want to start tying as a beginner and I am thinking before I buy materials- I have a few tools, that I need 4-5 basic patterns for a beginner and then order the materials. There is so much available this is the only way I can start without dropping a bundle of cash on stuff that will not work here in the South for bream and bass- which we call Green Trout.

Can someone recommend a list patterns and If I am not asking too much can you send me a meterial list. There is nowhere locally to buy supplies. I am in New Orleans. Oh yes, I am a retired senior on a budget. I looked at hackles but wow are they expensive.

sid

Can you email me at my personal email, [email protected]

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Sid, you ought to check out the New Orleans Fly Fishers. Here is an excerpt from their blog, which isn't kept up to date but the meeting information is still current.

 

General Monthly Meeting

We hold the regular monthly meetings at the Whitney Bank Building, 1441 Metairie Road at 7:00 PM on the last Thursday of each month. The meetings are open to the public and you are welcome to participate. Our programs include talks by local fly fishing guides and other experts at our monthly membership meetings, as well as fly tying sessions, rod building clinics, casting clinics and fishing trips throughout the year.

 

Fly Tying Meetings

We hold our fly tying meetings on the second and third Thursday, if the month has 4 Thursdays. If the month has 5 Thursdays, they are held on the third and fourth Thursday of the month. The first meeting is held at St. Frances Church on Metairie Road and the second at Whitney Bank, also located on Metairie Road. There's nothing better than catching a fish on your own fly creation!

 

You can purchase materials locally at Uptown Angler and if you get over to Denham Springs, there is a Cabela's with a pretty good selection of materials.

 

Check out these two forums that are hosted by local New Orleans area fly fishers, there is some good information on these sites about fly patterns.

 

To access the forums, click on the Forum box along the top.

http://www.warmfly.com/

 

To access the forums, click on the New Forum box along the top.

http://www.laflyfish.com/

 

Kirk

[Piker20 0]

Speaking from the UK, but fish is fish I always think, 5 flies I would want in my box would be a

[*]bibio black/red/black in sizes 16 and 12

[*]Pheasent tailed nymph # 16 and #12

[*]black gnat dry fly # 18 and #16

[*]grey wulfe #14 and #10

[*]Grouse+(add colour) #14

 

If you know the water you fish has a specific hatch of flies then you should carry something that mimics that hatch. I think that my 5 cover a general representation of something fishy and I would tweak the sizes if I knew the naturals were mostly smaller or larger.

Regarding Hackles, there has been a rise due to the hair style nuts but for starting out you won't be too dissapointed with generic hen hackles. Look at the post today on hackles elsewhere on the forum. My favourites are grizzle hackles or hackles with a wider web so they stay a bit translucent and give a better suggestion of movement. Google North country spiders to see some really effective catchers that look very sparse and dont take much tying.

[Jolly Red 0]

Poppers will work on bass and bream, just need different sizes. Plenty of information on tying on this forum, just search around. For bream, you need a foam spider or beetle, a black gnat wet (with red tail), and a cap spider. For bass, a clouser minnow or crawdad pattern should work just about anywhere. Search the data base for patterns for panfish and largemouth bass. Each pattern should have a list of the materials to use for that pattern, so you don't need to buy too much to start with. If the shop you go to doesn't have the exact material described, they might be able to recommend a substitute.