Southern Michigan

[FlyTieDad 0]

Hello,

 

I'm relatively new to fly tying and I'm not much of a success at fishing but I enjoy it (having said that I'm not sure why...)

 

I took tying lessons about a year ago and I'm just starting to really get into it because my 2 little girls (5 and under) are interested in it too.

 

Every night I come home from work and I am greeted with, "Can we go tie some flies Daddy?".

"Sorry honey can't help with dinner, I need to bond with the children."

 

So now I'm trying to build up some supplies and identify flies that the girls can tie easily.

 

Supply wise I'm pretty well off except I'd say I need more dry fly hackle, some craft store materials and maybe some specific furs like muskrat, beaver, etc.

 

That's about it.

I hope to learn and maybe teach someone something new as time goes on.

 

FlyTieDad

[throwinflys 0]

where are you at in southern michigan? i'm currently in hillsdale

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

welcome to the site from a fellow Michigander

[Trouser Trout 0]

Welcome, I too am from Michigan. As a fellow beginner, I can assure you that you'll get plenty of good info from everyone on here.

[FlyTieDad 0]

where are you at in southern michigan? i'm currently in hillsdale

Near Ann Arbor.

[shoebop 0]

I'm in Ortonville, MI Welcome to FTF

[throwinflys 0]

i lived in saline before moving out here to the middle of nowhere. plotting my return though. have you been into the fly store in A2? i've not heard anything good or bad about them yet.

[FlyTieDad 0]

i lived in saline before moving out here to the middle of nowhere. plotting my return though. have you been into the fly store in A2? i've not heard anything good or bad about them yet.

Which one? There is an Orvis store on Jackson and a new one in Ypsilanti called Schultz Outfitters.

Do you know of another one I should visit?

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

thats cool my mom lives in Ypsilanti

[throwinflys 0]

I DIDNT KNOW THERE WAS AN ORVIS STORE IN JACKSON!?!?!?!?! schultz was the one i was referring too though. im pretty sure they have been plating a section of river with trout here in the last few years. i've been meaning to check it out

[throwinflys 0]

never mind... im stupid and didnt see ON jackson road. haha. I guess u'd be referring to colton bay right? i have not been there either. i used to work on jackson rd. at suburban chevrolet.

[natedubay 0]

Hello from Grand Rapids.

 

I'm not too familiar with shops down your way, but Nomad Anglers opened a store in GR not to long ago. Their original one is in Okemos near Lansing. Two of the guys, Brian and Tommy, work at both stores. These guys are super knowledgeable about tying, fishing, you name it. They offer classes in both as well. They're my go-to guys now when I need stuff, I tend to order things not in stock...

 

www.nomadanglers.com

 

As for tying for kids, I have a 28 year old significant other with the tying and fishing ability of a small child. Her #1 fly is a foam beetle because they are easy to tie, and then you can paint the back of them with nail polish in gaudy colors. The fly catches basically anything, but is especially fun on bluegills because you're catching one on every cast basically. Durable little bugger and floats for days. There are multiple ways to tie it, the one I'd recommend would probably use some chenille for the abdomen so they don't have to screw around with peacock herl. With girls that age I'm telling you just let them paint foam with their nail polish. It will hold appeal for at least the next 23 years or so.

 

Nate

[Mace3 0]

Hello from Livonia! Welcome to the site, I'm new here as well, but I make sure to catch up on the posts every other day or so. I am sure you will find a lot of the material helpful.